Disaster recovery planning a must. (Technology Update).Businesses must make disaster recovery planning a priority -- particularly in light of the recent tragic events -- according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. Andrew Gansler and Larry Baye of Grant Thornton LLP's management consulting group Management Consulting Group, PLC is a consulting company listed on the London Stock Exchange under the name MMC. As of 2006 they were ranked the twelfth largest operational consultancy firm in the world. , the featured speakers at the recent Real Estate Technology Forum meeting. "Most businesses talk about disaster recovery, but don't make planning for one a high priority," said Gansler. "Fire, tornado tornado, dark, funnel-shaped cloud containing violently rotating air that develops below a heavy cumulonimbus cloud mass and extends toward the earth. The funnel twists about, rises and falls, and where it reaches the earth causes great destruction. , theft, sabotage sabotage [Fr., sabot=wooden shoe; hence, to work clumsily], form of direct action by workers against employers through obstruction of work and/or lowering of plant efficiency. Methods range from peaceful slowing of production to destruction of property. , intrusion, power outage Noun 1. power outage - equipment failure resulting when the supply of power fails; "the ice storm caused a power outage" power failure equipment failure, breakdown - a cessation of normal operation; "there was a power breakdown" or explosion -- all can cause major disruptions in a business and can affect the security and integrity of data and physical assets. In today's environment, you simply have to be prepared. "Taking the time to plan for such events can pay dividends in the long run," he continued. "The planning process doesn't have to be monumental; just comprehensive, pragmatic, and inclusive of inclusive of prep. Taking into consideration or account; including. the critical components of prevention, detection and recovery." Speaking to a group of top real estate and technology professionals, Gansler and Baye advised businesses to consider the following tips: If you have a plan, review it to ensure that: * It reflects new systems and infrastructure changes * Individuals responsible for the plan are still with the firm * It provides for restoration of core business functions as well as core technolgies * Service contracts are up to date and accessible * Get a third party perspective * Test it and maintain it If you do not have a plan: * Make sure management is involved and convinced of the necessity * Form a team and define your approach * Perform a business impact analysis * Develop the plan * Train your employees * Test the plan Consider remote site operations: * If you have an alternative location for technology and people, review the terms of your site agreement to make sure the contracted service still meets your needs. * If you do not have an alternative location, consider an outsourcing (1) Contracting with outside consultants, software houses or service bureaus to perform systems analysis, programming and datacenter operations. Contrast with insourcing. See netsourcing, ASP, SSP and facilities management. services provider as part of a comprehensive solution. You should also consider: exclusion zones A zone established by a sanctioning body to prohibit specific activities in a specific geographic area. The purpose may be to persuade nations or groups to modify their behavior to meet the desires of the sanctioning body or face continued imposition of sanctions, or use or threat of , service guarantees, duration, test time, competitive bidding Competitive bidding A securities offering process in which securities firms submit competing bids to the issuer for the securities the issuer wishes to sell. competitive bidding 1. , complex pricing structures and termination structures when providing for an alternative site location. Review your insurance coverage: * Make sure you have all of the necessary insurance coverage including general commercial coverage, business interruption insurance Noun 1. business interruption insurance - insurance that provides protection for the loss of profits and continuing fixed expenses resulting from a break in commercial activities due to the occurrence of a peril and equipment insurance. Then review your policies to make sure you understand what may be excluded from coverage. Review important business processes: * Next to people, paper records are the most difficult component of any business to replace. Ask: What are my vital records? What are the retention requirements? What would happen if my vital records were destroyed? * Consider document imaging and automation of paper-intensive processes. Create an electronic record of important documents. Review outsourced services: * Does your service provider have a disaster recovery plan? Is the provider viable over the long term? What controls are in place to prevent unauthorized access to your data? Have these controls been tested by an independent third party? Form alliances: * Is there a business partner or even a competitor that would be willing to team with you in the process? Is there a- company that has similar equipment, whose resources can be made available to you if necessary? "Disaster recovery requirements have become another differentiating. factor between buildings," said Jonathan C. Rudes co-chair of the Real Estate Technology Forum and executive vice president of William B. May International. "While many businesses had partial business continuity or disaster-recovery plans in place before September 11th, most of those plans only addressed computer systems and even more were effectively useless, having not been updated in years or utilizing outdated out·dat·ed adj. Out-of-date; old-fashioned. outdated Adjective old-fashioned or obsolete Adj. 1. computer system back-ups, employee lists and other data," said Jeffrey Moerdler, New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of office section head of the communications real estate practices of Mintz, Levin lev·in n. Archaic Lightning. [Middle English levene, levin; see leuk- in Indo-European roots.] , Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo and cochair of The Real Estate Technology Forum. "Businesses are now beginning to. focus on establishing complete up to date business continuity plans addressing a much broader range of issues. Similarly, the real estate community needs to do this at two levels, one for their own business and the other for the properties that they own or manage," he added. "Who would have imagined that the all the airplanes in the US would have-been grounded," said Sungard's Jim Grogan. "Many companies planned-to fly-in their backup data tapes, or spare computers." |
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