Download a PDF of the Pre/Post Courses

PRC–1: Everything You Need To Know to Design The Successful Exercise
Saturday, March 25, 8:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m.
Sunday, March 26, 8:00 a.m.- 11:30 a.m.

$695 per person

Presenter: Regina Phelps

Learn from the exercise master – Regina Phelps conducts 50+ exercises a year! Do you have a plan but have not yet tested it? You might discover that your document is less than sufficient. There is really only two ways to find that out. One is to have an actual disaster; the other is to do an exercise. The latter is usually a better learning experience and certainly a lot less stressful! The workshop details everything you need to do to design a successful exercise from the ground up. You will walk out of this workshop with your next exercise planned and under your arm!

• Five types of exercises
• Exercise Design Team
• The development of the Exercise Plan
• Selecting & Training a Sim Team
• Rules of exercise facilitation
• Participate in two advanced tabletop exercises
• Develop the outline for your own tabletop exercise

Regina Phelps, CEM, RN, BSN, MPA is founder of Emergency Management & Safety Solutions a consulting and training firm. Phelps’ niche includes crisis management team development, emergency operations center design and the development of emergency exercises for large global companies.

PRC–2: FASTpractice to Build Your BCP
Saturday, March 25, 8:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m.
Sunday, March 26, 8:00 a.m.- 11:30 a.m.

$645 per person

Presenters: Barry Pruitt

Michael Herrera, CBCP

Don’t be caught in a disaster waiting for perfect when you can attend this session and start with progress! BCP is vital to keeping your organization operating after an unplanned disruption. Yet many organizations have untested/out of date or no plans. Why? Worldwide, the trend is better, cheaper, and faster— even in the BCP process. Gain best practices for BCP at today’s fast pace. If you’re an expert, learn how to speed up the process; if you’re new to the profession, get your program in place quicker through FASTpractice! You’ll:

• Discover how to be a FASTpractice planner
• Quickly define key roles/responsibilities
• Map the fastest route to implement a “best practice” BCP program
• Raise your program’s maturity level at a faster pace
• Gain the fastest approach to completing the Business Impact Analysis (BIA) and Risk Assessment
• Outline how to quickly design/develop/implement recovery strategies and plans based on requirements
• Get the FASTpractice approach to maintenance/testing and continuous improvement
• Reduce exposures and ensure continued operation of your organization in the event of an unplanned disruption
Learn strategies and procedures to maintain/resume/recover critical business functions and processes, and how to include procedures to execute critical priorities vs. non-critical functions/services/processes. Workshop includes: workbook, disk of presentation materials, forms, and bonus CDs.

Barry Pruitt has 22 years experience managing major projects, teaches at USC school of business, and has experienced a major business interruption.
Michael Herrera, CBCP, is the president/CEO of MHA Consulting Inc., has more than 16 years BCP consulting and training experience, and has first hand experience dealing with four major disasters.

PRC–3: NIMS ICS for Business and Industry
Sat., March 25, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Sun., March 26, 8:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

$595 per person

Presenters: Dr. Tom Phelan

Deidrich Towne, Jr. CBCP

PPBI has combined the NFPA 1600 Standard with NIMS Incident Command principles to create an easy to adapt ICS model for business and industry. Compliance with the Department of Homeland Security’s National Incident Management System (NIMS), and the categories of the National Fire Protection Association 1600 Standard as revised in 2004 serve as the basis for this simplified critical incident management course. PPBI’s instructors have experience in both public and private sector disaster recovery. The course is highly interactive and easily adaptable to your organization’s needs. Learn to use ICS to improve incident management.
Dr. Thomas D. Phelan, President, Strategic Teaching Associates, Inc., is a founding member of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Deidrich Towne, CBCP, is a senior technical analyst in Information Technology for National Grid. He serves as Chairman of the Board for Private and Public Businesses, Inc.

PRC–4: BC Planning Made Simple
Saturday, March 25, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Sunday, March 26, 8:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

$595 per person

Presenters: Norman Harris, CBCP
Tracy Cowan, CBCP

Since 9/11 what are we most worried about? Network Security? Physical Security? Terrorist Threats? Loss of Critical Staff? Power Outages? Natural Disasters? This interactive class will teach the student everything he/she needs to know to get started on their DR/BCP. Bring your laptop to this class and we will provide you with a CD full of resources, forms and questionnaires to utilize.

Harris will cover the following:

• Risk Assessments Questionnaires
• Network Security Questionnaires
• Development of Business Processes
• Recovery Time Objectives
• Time Lines for Recovery
• Development of DR/BCP Teams
• Impact on Operations

This unique class is taught by Norm Harris and during the class he will personally assist you with your DR/BC Plan and insure that you have all the tools you need.
All participants receive a complete four-DVD set of BCP Planning Made Simple at the conclusion of the class. Come to this class for one on one training, but register early. Space is limited.

Norm Harris, CBCP, Certified Recovery Planner, chairman, president and CEO of Norman L. Harris & Assc., is recognized as a leader in information technology management and disaster recovery.
Tracy Lee Cowan, CBCP, CRP is business continuity/disaster recovery consultant for ICSI Consulting Services, Inc.

PRC-5: Everything You Wanted To Know About Selling BC Throughout Your Organization (And Have Been Waiting To Ask)
Saturday, March 25, 8:00 a.m.- 5:00 p.m.

$495 per person

Presenter: Michael W. Janko, CBCP

Hear an incredible story of how persistence paid off in the selling of the business continuity process through a major global organization. Included are easy to follow details on organizing, developing, implementing and maintaining an effective business continuity process. Learn why you may not be getting the message across to the right decision-makers. Learn how to “work it through proper channels” while “playing in everyone else’s sandbox”! Specific details of this valuable course include:

• Why many plans fail
• Developing the entire process
• Design for what will occur, not for what has occurred
• Take advantage of resources available - no matter how much or how little they may be
• Benchmarking techniques
• Use and application of critical “soft skills”
• Developing Policy/Organizational Charters/ Steering and Tactical Committees
• Developing and sticking to your “Forward Plan”
• There are no negatives - only varying degrees of positives - how to use all of them to your program’s advantage

Michael W. Janko, CBCP is manager, global business continuity and fire protection, The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company. He has more than 20 years experience in all phases of the BC process.

PRC–6: Proven Practices in Business Continuity Planning
Saturday, March 25, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Sunday, March 26, 8:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

$695 per person

Presenter: Randy Till, CBCP

This class will provide the attendees with a comprehensive review of the components, processes and practices required to implement a successful BCP Program. Till will provide examples, solutions to roadblocks and proven techniques for improving business continuity planning within your organization. Some of the topics included will be:

• Gaining management commitment and participation as a key success factor
• Assessing risks and defining business impacts associated with disruptions
• Defining processes and practices for effective emergency response and crisis management
• Reviewing strong practices and techniques associated with successful business continuity and disaster recovery plans
• Presenting advanced recovery techniques and strategies
• Exercising recovery plans and capabilities
• Evaluating recovery readiness and effectively reporting results to management.

This class promises to provide immediately useful and applicable strategies and techniques through class interaction and instructor feedback. Both experienced and new business continuity planners will benefit.
In addition, each student will receive a free copy of the educational film Best Practices in BCP.

Randy Till, CBCP, is vice president, global business continuity management for MasterCard International. He has been implementing BC programs within several organizations during his 18-year career.

PRC-7: Total Integrated Maintenance
Saturday, March 25, 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Sunday, March 26, 8:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

$695 per person

Presenter: Jeffrey Williams

There are three aspects to the evergreen process that business continuity planners must know and practice. These are:
TRAINING: Tasks for response and recovery can only be carried out by people who are trained on how to do this. To cover this aspect of your plan protection, you must design, develop and conduct training to ensure that your team members and all other staff know what to do.
This session will cover the rational for training, and how to develop, manage and deliver training. The highlighting of deficiencies that will be discovered through training will also be discussed.
EXERCISING: Business Continuity Plans are only as good as the results of the last exercise. This session will develop and conduct structured walk-throughs, and explain real-time tests. Feedback from testing will be introduced.
MAINTENANCE: This is an ongoing process in which the team tasks, personnel assignments, systems, applications, functions and databases are continually monitored and updated.

*In this seminar, one-half day will be spent on each of these topics.

Jeffrey Williams is president and chief strategist for Binomial International Inc. and DisasterRecovery.com Inc.