Disaster Recovery Journal

The Oil Spill in the Gulf of Mexico is a horrible natural disaster that the area might never recover from…  This much is known.  So many people have asked why we haven’t written anything on our blog about it and why we aren’t using it when it comes to business interruption scenarios.  The answer is simple, it is such a massive incident that most people can’t wrap their heads around it and would simply say “we aren’t a petroleum company, so it doesn’t apply”.  While that is true, I was reading an article today on the fact that BP share prices have dropped for the second day in a row.  Half way down this article, there is a perfect Business Continuity/Disaster Recovery piece that ties back to handling the media that has been written about here and here.  Read the following and see how it all ties together:

On the corporate front, BP shareholders would prefer to sacrifice the company’s Chairman Carl-Henric Svanberg rather than CEO Hayward over the ongoing crisis, the Times of London reported in its Wednesday edition.

I always find it interesting to see how the field of Business Continuity (BC), Disaster Recovery (DR) and Continuity of Operations (COOP) is continually evolving.  Recently, I have been asked to comment on the “need” for consultants when a client already has software.  Before this month this wasn’t that big of a deal, but now it’s a hot topic that seems to be gaining momentum.  What are we seeing when it comes to having a consultant in house to complete your planning?

Let’s set the stage first.

I always find it inspiring to see a long line of cyclist rolling along like an outstretched human train, everyone is wearing matching jersey and shorts working together to a common goal. If you’ve ever watched the Tour de France then you will certainly understand this amazing group of people working towards a sight. This is a sight that has become common at KingsBridge, minus the Tour de France part of course!  Everyone working towards a common goal.

Before joining KingsBridge I often dealt with Skip Williams (CEO) as he frequently visited the bicycle store that I managed during my university days, as it was just around the corner from their office. He would often drop in mid-ride in full KingsBridge cycling gear, matching head to toe.  I found it very interesting that a Disaster Recovery software and consulting company would have such a passion in cycling.  One day Skip dropped by the shop and gave me a KingsBridge cycling jersey, unknown to me, the first of many to come.  It was my first step into the KingsBridge train.

During our Disaster Recovery classes, we always tell the clients that the media, with the unlimited airtime to fill, will create the news if you don’t give it to them.  So, for all our clients, we work with them to build a set of press releases and strongly encourage their management to go to media training to learn the basics of dealing with the media.  If you are in a highly visible position, even having a media firm do your press releases and media relations is absolutely critical.

If you don’t believe me, look at one very costly example going on right now…  Can you guess it?  In two words “Tiger Woods transgressions”.  Ok… you got me… that’s three words, but anytime anyone says “Tiger” I always think of Woods first and the animal second.

Have your been tasked with building a recovery plan for your business and you don’t know where to begin?  While it might sound like a daunting task, it really isn’t all that difficult, but you will need to learn some of the basics before you begin your journey!

The good thing is you aren’t alone, all of our customers have faced and overcome the same thing.