In every company there are decision-makers and decision-influencers. Often it is the decision-influencers who see the need for the service/solution and who work to convince the decision-makers to agree and sign the contract.
So, how does this apply when making decisions about your disaster recovery and business continuity plans? What is the normal process for your organization when making decisions that will have a large impact on the longevity and success of your company?
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.
When you think of disaster what do you think of? Chances are you put flood, massive power outage, fire, and pandemic at the top of your list. These are all events that really we can't control - the hurricanes are going to happen, the power does go out, fires happen sometimes due to human error, and health crisis are still one of the large mysteries of life. So for these events that may or may not happen, you understand the need to have a disaster recovery and business continuity plan. Since you're reading this blog post, I assume you have such a DR/BCP in place to keep your business working efficiently when "disaster" strikes.
It has taken some time and a few more meetings than you’d like to remember, but you’ve done it. You’ve secured the budget needed to actually get your company set up with a proven Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity Plan. But now what? You’ve promised the “powers that be” that you can deliver a DR implementation quickly, easily and seamlessly. And you cannot go over budget.
Well, take a look at your existing corporate infrastructure. What software tools are you currently using? How skilled are team members at learning a new piece of software? And don’t forget the deal-maker – “must be simple and on budget”. Chances are if you’re like many of the companies we do business with, you’re running a large chunk of Microsoft software. In fact pretty strong chance that you’re already using Microsoft SharePoint to collaboratively manage task and information within your organization.
1862 Old Lemay Ferry
Arnold, MO 63010
Call: (636) 282-5800
Fax: (636) 282-5802
Email: drj@drj.com
