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Sunday Workshop Session 1
Novice/Intermediate/Advanced

How To Implement a Successful Corporate Emergency Response Team (CERT) Program.

Tim Bonno
Ron Megert
SBC

Successful business recovery is dependant upon employee availability. Following a major disaster, first responders who provide law enforcement, ?re, and emergency medical services may not be able to meet the demand for these services. People will have to rely on each other for help in order to meet their immediate life saving and life sustaining needs. CERT (Community Emergency Response Teams) is a positive and realistic approach to emergency and disaster situations where individuals will initially be on their own, at home or at work, and their actions can make a difference. Discover how you can adapt CERT to the corporate environment. This three-hour workshop will provide attendees with hands-on opportunities to learn about CERT and develop a program template that they can walk away with and begin using immediately. Attendees will learn how to successfully implement one of the best preparedness initiatives available today.

In his current position at SBC Services Inc. Tim Bonno, technical director IT business continuity, manages a team responsible for all business continuity activities within SBC’s Information Technologies organization.
Ron Megert is employed by SBC Services Inc. and leads the emergency preparedness initiatives within the company’s data processing organization.

Sunday Workshop Session 2
Novice/Intermediate/Advanced

Developing the Recovery Strategy: The Next Step

Barney Pelant, MBCP
Barney F. Pelant & Assoc.

Once the business impact analysis (BIA) has been completed, the next logical step in the development of a business continuity program is the formation of the business recovery strategy. The results of this effort provide us the infrastructure for carrying out the successful recovery of the organization in case of a disastrous event or business interruption. This infrastructure is also the foundation for the procedures that we develop next, a.k.a. our business recovery plan. This session is a former breakout session that has been expanded by popular request to a workshop. During the workshop we will examine a proven methodology for taking the findings of the BIA and developing successful strategies. Learn important and logical steps to take when structuring the business recovery strategy. You’ll take home answers and solutions that you can implement immediately. Pelant will present an additional BIA workshop on Tuesday.
Barney Pelant holds the certification of Master Business Continuity Professional, with more than 25 years experience in this profession. He is owner and managing director of Barney F. Pelant & Associates, a consulting practice dedicated to business continuity planning since 1991. Pelant serves on the Board of Directors of the Canadian Centre for Emergency Preparedness He is the past executive director, chair of the Certification Board and member of the Board of Directors of the Disaster Recovery Institute International. He helps organizations in all industries and professions to develop and carry out business continuity programs He is a frequent public speaker and provider of training seminars and workshops on business continuity planning and development.

Sunday Workshop Session 3
Intermediate/Advanced

Incident Management Plan Assessment

Deidrich Towne, CBCP
NationalGrid USA

Peter Laz, CBCP
Forsythe Solutions Group

In this highly interactive workshop you will learn to use the BCP Audit checklist and the Incident Management Plan Maturity Model developed by PPBI from recognized standards and industry best practices. Returning to a workshop format for this venue PPBI has condensed the one and one-half day course to share the effectiveness this process can have on your plans. Exposure to the practical experience of the instructors in addition to recognized industry standards in measuring the maturity of your plans benefits both the public and private sectors. You will use the checklist to assess your capability to assemble, coordinate, collect and channel the resources required for critical incident management. The tools are free, the simulation authentic and the class is practical, useful immediately and fun!
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.

Peter Laz, CBCP, is employed by Forsythe Solutions Group as a business continuity consultant with more than 21 years experience in Information Technology and more than 16 years experience in the field of contingency planning.

Sunday Workshop Session 4
Intermediate/Advanced

Command Center Simulation Exercise

Joseph Flach
Eagle Rock Alliance

Bert Wolff
Chubb & Son

This session is designed to share some ideas and suggestions for preparing and testing the command center during a disaster. Suggestions for establishing the test goals and objectives; deciding on the appropriate target audience; selecting the right scenario(s); preparing the session material; room setup; facilitation techniques; after action reporting; and, more will be presented and discussed.
A few techniques that have been successful in different environments will be shared, including: using imbedded video in the presentation; preparing situation manuals; inviting civil authorities to attend the session; creating a facilitator’s guide, and other creative presentation techniques.
The evolution of Chubb & Son’s Command Center from its origins to the present day will be traced and discussed, along with the successes and lessons learned from their experiences in the years the program has been in effect.

Joseph Flach is the practice manager of the business continuity planning (BCP) group for Eagle Rock Alliance, Ltd. He is responsible for all aspects of the performance of Eagle Rock’s crisis management, business resilience, emergency response and business resumption practice areas.

Bert J. Wolff Jr. is vice president of corporate business continuity and security at Chubb and Son. He has been in his current position for three years. In this position he has created a standard process for the creation of emergency response and business continuity planning at Chubb.

Sunday Workshop Session 5
Novice

BCP–101

Session limited to 100 participants

Ed Devlin, CBCP
ES Devlin & Assc.

Norm Harris, CBCP
Norman L. Harris & Assc.

This must-attend workshop has been developed to provide practitioners with the basics of business continuity planning. It is taught by two industry pioneers and is designed to set the stage for attendees to better understand the lessons they will learn during the DRJ conference. This session will explain the changes in the scope of the planning required by the many incidents that have occurred during the last 30 years. It will review what is expected of the disaster recovery/business continuity planner in today’s fast pace, ever changing, business world we all live in. You will be exposed to questionnaires and plan development documentation requirements that every DR/BCP needs in order to do their job. The information you will receive during this session will save you time and help guide you through your own plan development cycle.

Ed Devlin is a consultant, author, instructor and speaker in the field of business continuity. Devlin is a Certified Business Continuity Planner, a member of the Executive Council of the Disaster Recovery Journal and a member of the Advisory Board of the National Association of Contingency Planners. From 1973, when he co-founded Devlin Associates, to the present time, Devlin has assisted more than 400 companies throughout the world in the development or enhancement of their business continuity and business resumption programs.

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. Harris co-founded CRISIS Magazine, one of the first disaster recovery publications and HSH, Inc., which became the largest disaster recovery consulting company in the US. For the last 25 years, Harris has consulted with thousands of business clients in every major industry.

Tactical Exercise

Sponsored by

Enrollment is limited to 200 participants.

With several high-profile disruptions fresh in everyone’s minds, now is the perfect time to practice what we preach. Join us for a first-hand look at how a tactical exercise is put together, become part of the recovery team, and work with your peers to solve difficult BCP challenges.
Approximately 48 hours of recovery time will be simulated during this exercise. Every attendee will be assigned to a recovery team responsible for completing specific tasks from the plan. Each team will be responsible for communication with other teams and the emergency operations center, as well a making critical recovery decisions.
We are keeping the specifics of the scenario a secret so nobody can get a jump start, but we’re sure your BCP knowledge and experience will be challenged. Whether you are new to the profession or a seasoned pro, this exercise is sure to provide some valuable lessons learned to bring back to your organization.
Sponsored by Strohl Systems, the exercise will be led by experienced, certified consultants who have tapped their knowledge reserves to make this session more realistic than any you’ve ever attended. Strohl Systems’ motto, after all, is Plan. Practice. Prevail.
Space is limited, so register now!

Strohl Systems has been providing tools necessary to build continuity plans, practice for disruptions and to prevail over disasters for almost 20 years.