Disaster Recovery Journal eXpress



	Seasonal Disasters Require Extra Planning Natural disasters are one of the most unpredictable areas for which continuity planners must prepare. Tornadoes are a big concern throughout most of the continental United States during the spring months. In an average year, 800 tornadoes are reported nationwide, resulting in 80 deaths and over 1,500 injuries. In May 2003, there were more than 500 tornadoes. Is your organization prepared for a similar outbreak this spring? What can be done to prepare for these violent, unpredictable storms? Planning ahead is the key to keeping your organization and personnel safe. Designate a safe area for employees and practice evacuations. Know the area in which you work and keep a highway map on hand to follow storm movements from weather bulletins. Have a weather radio equipped with alternate power. Know the gas and water shutoffs for your building. Designate a communication plan. And most importantly, test your plan frequently.

	Sign up for a schedule that suits your needs. Whether you are new to the industry or an advanced planner, you will find a variety of sessions. Choose from workshops, advanced tracks, best practices sessions, interactive simulations and more. Sign up today or browse the entire brochure

	Would you like to contribute to the creation of Best Practices for the Business Continuity Industry? The DRJ Editorial Advisory Board Best Practices Committee is leading an effort to create universally accepted Business Continuity Best Practice guidelines. Best Practices are defined as “documented strategies, policies and procedures, and activities that are shown through research and evaluation to be effective at driving the highest levels of excellence in organizations”. The mission of the committee is “To be recognized as a leading source of ‘sound’ best practices by providing a depository of knowledge and recommendations offered by skilled business continuity practitioners”. Best Practices will be compiled from submittals by experienced business continuity practitioners from the public and private sectors, as well as user groups and/or related organizations, in regard to the industry standard Professional Practices. The DRJ has partnered with the following organizations to assist in the creation of Business Continuity Best Practices: · Association of Records Management Administration (ARMA) · Business Continuity Institute (BCI) · DRI International (DRII) · Financial Services Technology Consortium (FSTC) · International Security Systems Certification Consortium (ISC2) · National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) The DRII Professional Practices will be used as the foundation for the Business Continuity Best Practices. The Professional Practices tell you what you need to do and the Best Practices will tell you how to do it. As an industry it’s time for us to develop universally accepted best practices. When we establish best practices we will be recognized as a discipline and an established profession. If you would like to submit a Best Practice to the Best Practices Committee please click here to access the Best Practice submittal form.

	Spring 2004 - Cover Article Business Continuity in a Sarbanes-Oxley World How Business is Leveraging Business Continuity To Comply with the New Regulation By AL BERMAN, CBCP In the wake of spectacular corporate governance failures at several companies, Congress enacted the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 to address the shortcomings of corporate governance and improve the overall controls associated with the management and reporting of corporate financial information. The legislation is aimed at protecting employees, business partners, and corporate. In a period that saw the creation of specific legislation and regulations around business continuity, it was only natural that Sarbanes-Oxley would be seen as an extension of these same regulations. Sarbanes-Oxley does not specifically address business continuity requirements. In fact, it never mentions business continuity at all. But as a practical matter business continuity is seen as a means to create a comprehensive controls environment within an organization. Sarbanes-Oxley is spurring companies to expand the scope of their business continuity initiatives to be more comprehensive in nature, even to the point of a company looking outside its own organization to suppliers and vendors. Click here to read the entire article *Additional Articles Found in Spring 2004* Business Continuity in a Sarbanes-Oxley World 20 Rules for Effective Communication in a Crisis World Headquarters or Mom and Pop Consider the Risk of Infectious Diseases Who’s the Boss? Systems Continuity on a Shoestring Collaboration in BCP Skill Development Five Ways to Engage Your Executives as Sponsors Never a Good Time to be Without E-mail The Real Threat Business Continuity Chronicles Leveraging Geographically Diverse Data Centers The Importance of a Comprehensive Training Program Spring World 2004 Marks 30th Conference Data Recovery Completes Disaster Recovery The Business Continuity Planning Cube Securing Storage Networks Business Continuity and your Service Level Agreements Lack of Sound Security a Problem for Businesses 2004 Other Services Survey (PDF Format)

	"Where the Industry Meets Every Wednesday" Brought to you by the publishers of the annual Disaster Resource GUIDE. The Continuity e-GUIDE provides a concise seven-day snapshot of our industry from around the world right down to the local level. Based on the philosophy of “working together”, the e-GUIDE integrates, consolidates, and communicates resources from leaders in business continuity, information security, crisis/risk management, emergency response, and disaster recovery. SIGN UP TODAY. IT'S FREE! Do you have a U.S. or Canada mailing address? If yes, you can also sign up for a free copy of the 2004 Disaster Resource GUIDE to be published in March, 2004. www.disaster-resource.com/cgi-bin/freeguide.cgi

	DRJ eXpress is published by Disaster Recovery Journal. We have added this exciting publication to our family to better update our readers on current events and happenings. In the fast-paced world of business continuity, having current information is key to staying ahead of the challenges that can occur so quickly. This monthly eZine will contain a wealth of tips, statistics and technology updates. In addition, you can find information on local continuity events, meetings and more. Get the information you need – quickly and easily with DRJ eXpress! Staying informed is essential – and we are here to help.

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