Disaster recovery new order of the post 9/11 day.

You can add business continuity planning to the long list of industries permanently impacted by Sept. 11, a panel told guests at a CoreNet Global lunch Sept 25.

Since the World Trade Center attacks which led to numerous companies being shut down for days - firms are taking the need for disaster planning more seriously.

"Companies realize that maintaining the viability of their business during a crisis is crucial not only for survival, but also to maintain competitive advantage," said Al Berman, senior vice president; risk consulting, at Marsh, Inc.

Berman moderated the panel which included Elizabeth Bryson, corporate vice president, business contingency, privacy and records programs, at New York Life Insurance Company; Michael Daigle, vice president; network planning, Verizon; and Gregory Ferns, executive director, global business continuity planning Morgan Stanley.

The panelists discussed their roles in the business continuity planning process, how to design and implement a plan, lessons learned from Sept. 11, and modifications required to respond to a changing regulatory environment.

The starkest difference between the Sept. 11 disaster and the type of incidents that corporations used to plan for was the loss of human life. The panelists stressed the need to protect employees, a companies' biggest asset. Bryson pointed out that her husband was working on the 58th floor of one of the towers Sept. 11, but was able to escape. Many businesses are spreading out operations over various geographic locations. "People are our biggest assets and we're concerned about having so many people in one place," Berman said.

Other assumptions prior to Sept. 11 were that any interruptions in operations, due to fire or another type of incident, would be only for a few weeks and would have a relatively small impact on the company.

"You assumed you could come back to work fairly quickly," Bryson said.

Companies never used to anticipate the possibility of losing an entire corporate campus or having restricted access to a building, as was typical with Dowtown offices in the days following Sept. 11.

Daigle described the damages suffered by the Verizon building at 140 West St. when 7 World Trade Center collapsed on it. It is the third largest wire center of its kind in the world, he said.

With no power, HYAC system, lights, elevator service and restrooms, 4,700 employees worked on efforts to restore telephone service, which was completed until March 2002 at the cost of $1.5 billion. Total restoration of the building won't be done until the end of 2003, Daigle said. "We feel we've learned a lot from Sept. 11," he said. "We're continually working with customers on business continuity planning."

As a result of Sept. 11, those responsible for business continuity planning are faced with a new regulatory environment. Congress held hearings on contingency plans, disaster recovery and solvency of companies after Sept.11 and the Securities and Exchange Commission, Federal Reserve, the New York City Banking Department and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency issued a "white paper" on the issue. The National Association of Insurance Commissioners have added business continuity and disaster recovery questions to examinations and the Securities Industry Association has issued a "best practices" statement.