Disaster Recovery Journal

This column will concentrate on some of the recent legal actions that have been, or will shortly be, resolved. It points out the role of one of the crisis management team members I frequently talk about.

The legal representative from the crisis management teams at the following organizations have been busy:

While attending the recent Disaster Recovery Journal’s conference in San Diego, I spent some time with attendees (friends) from a former consulting client of mine. They told me they were preparing for their upcoming exercise of the members of what I call "The Crisis Management Team" (CMT). My friends had decided on the scenario they would be using during the exercise. They were brainstorming on issues they would add to enhance the basic scenario. We talked about the importance of the scenario, as it related to the successful completion of an exercise.

The Perspective of Ed Devlin
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The Perspective of Ed Devlin

Recently, a number of BCP professionals have said to me they are finding it difficult to maintain the support of the senior executives for the business continuity program.

This is pretty common. Executives often feel they have expended a large investment in implementing the BCP program, and it should no longer require large amounts of money, or time, to maintain it.

They fail to understand the BCP is a living, breathing program. It requires changes to it anytime changes are made to the operations of the organization. In addition, contracts they have committed to, for backup sites, off-premises storage, etc. continue in place. As the organization’s business functions continue to grow, or as the organizations products or services continue to grow, so do the requirements for the business continuity program.

Some executives fail to understand that after the business unit’s plans have been documented and implemented, they must be exercised. Exercises cost time and money. They are the basis for the on-going training of business unit personnel, many of who have moved into the business unit recently (and have no idea what their responsibilities are during a crisis, nor how to carry them out). 

Ask The Executive - Doni Perry is the chief information officer (CIO) of Sea Star Line, LLC. Joining Sea Star Line, LLC in 2004, he has been instrumental in the maturing of Sea Star Line’s IT vision and development of their business continuity and disaster planning posture. He holds an MBA from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and a Bachelor of Science degree from The Citadel: The Military College of South Carolina. Prior to joining Sea Star, Perry worked for a consulting firm specializing in outsourcing, security, and IT asset management.

From the Perspective of Ed Devlin
In my last column, I discussed suggestions on how you can maintain support for the business continuity plan by your senior executives. Unfortunately, I ran out of space. I would like to pick up with more suggestions in this issue.