Consulting Firm Probes Business Continuity Planning Practices; Robbins-Gioia Identifies Changes, Needs in Business Continuity.

Business Editors

ALEXANDRIA, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 29, 2002

Robbins-Gioia LLC, the leading provider of program management consulting solutions today announced the completion of a study on business continuity and disaster recovery planning, conducted both at the Project Impact conference in New York City last month and through a private research panel.

The study, consisting of more than 170 business executives and project managers, was designed to gauge the amount of change and focus in business continuity planning efforts over the last year and identify upcoming priorities in this critical area.

Not surprisingly, the majority of companies surveyed have business continuity plans in place to cope with unexpected events. Nearly eighty-five percent of respondents said their companies currently have business continuity and disaster recovery plans in place. This is up from the 73 percent who said their companies had business continuity plans in place prior to September 11.

In fact, even those companies who had business continuity plans in place prior to September 11 have increased their expenditures and focus on the discipline, with 39.2 percent reporting some increase and an additional 20.5 percent reporting a significant increase in emphasis.

In addition, 55.5 percent of respondents expect their companies to continue to increase their business continuity efforts in the coming year.

The study also considered responsibility for business continuity efforts. In nearly 34 percent of companies, the chief information officer (CIO) was ultimately responsible, while 21.6 percent laid the burden on the CEO. Less than 12 percent of respondents identified a specifically appointed head of security as the key executive on these efforts.

According to Jay Casale, executive vice president at Robbins-Gioia, this could spell trouble. "The CIO and CEO functions are already overburdened. Adding business continuity responsibilities to their plates could mean that the company has not placed sufficient priority on those activities. Appointing a specific individual or office to deal with business continuity issues shows a company's commitment to heading off problems and ensuring that the plan stays actionable and current."

With regard to the elements included in business continuity plans, the respondents overwhelmingly (83.5 percent) noted a focus on identifying and planning for the mission critical processes that must be back up and running quickly after a major interruption. Surprisingly, only 64.7 percent have fully redundant IT systems accessible from outside locations in the event of an interruption.

Unfortunately, companies were not as consistent in their communication of the plans to their employees. The number one method of communicating business continuity plans and procedures to employees is periodic team meetings, with 54.7 percent of respondents identifying this method of communication.

Corporate intranet updates were a close second with 54 percent of respondents identifying this form of communication. Only 40 percent said that the plan was actually delivered to all employees.

Casale notes, "It's really in the communication and training that the rubber meets the road. You can have the best plan in the world, but if no one knows what to do in the event of a problem, the plan doesn't do you any good. This is one area we've focused on with our clients--really making sure the plans they develop are easy to execute and at the top of employees' minds."

About Robbins-Gioia

Robbins-Gioia has been dedicated to delivering project management consulting solutions to government agencies and Fortune 500 companies for more than 20 years.

Robbins-Gioia combines thought leadership, disciplined processes, industry-based knowledge, and integrated tools to help customers optimize their business processes, accelerate change, and establish time, cost, and quality improvements to transform their businesses. For more information, please call Robbins-Gioia, LLC at 800-663-7138, or visit the web site at www.robbinsgioia.com.