Rothstein Associates Inc. Business Survival ™ Weblog

By Joan Goodchild, Senior Editor, December 01, 2008 — CSO Security and Risk Online

Some business continuity demands are universal, but others vary depending on where you are. In the first part in an ongoing series, this article takes a look at what’s at stake and what’s in place for two companies faced with the worsening threats posed by hurricane zones.

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The Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recently released a report, Impact of Earthquakes on the Central USA, which presents the findings of a two-year study on the impact of a 7.7 magnitude earthquake on states in the New Madrid Seismic Zone (NMSZ).

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The 2008 Atlantic Hurricane Season officially came to a close on Sunday, November 30, marking the end of a season that produced a record number of consecutive storms to strike the United States and ranks as one of the more active seasons in the 64 years since comprehensive records began.

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General Douglas O’Dell, President George W. Bush’s federal coordinator for Gulf Coast rebuilding, recently came out in support of businesses developing continuity of operations plans, or COOP plans, before a disaster.  In keynote remarks at the Louisiana Technology Council “Business Continuity: Planning Your Survival Kit” event, O’Dell noted the importance of technology specialists in developing and carrying out such plans.

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According to BC Management’s 2007 annual compensation report, which received over 1,000 responses, the most prevalent certifications in the business continuity profession are:

• 59% - CBCP (DRII)
• 9% - ABCP (DRII)
• 6% - PMP (PMI)
• 8% - LDRPS (Strohl)
• 4% - CISSP (ISC2)
• 4% - MBCI (BCI)
• 3% - MBCP (DRII)
• 3% - CISA (ISACA)
• 1% - CHS (ACFEI)
• 1% - CISM (ISACA)
• 4% - CFCP (DRII)
• 17% - Other

For a copy of the report, please click here.

On December 20, 2008 three undersea/submarine cables that carry high-speed data traffic between Italy and Egypt were damaged.  These three cables carry approximately 90 percent of all data traffic between Europe and the Middle East.

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JBTGlobal, an advisory and training firm based in Queensland, Australia, has announced it will offer business continuity training in the US starting in 2009.

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China, Japan and South Korea recently announced an agreement to enhance cooperation on disaster management issues.  According to a joint statement, the three countries are subject to natural disasters including earthquakes, typhoons, floods, sediment-related disasters and tsunamis.  The risk is expected to rise with water-related disasters such as typhoons, floods and sediment-related disasters.  This is due to changes in the environment from climate change and rapid urbanization.

The leaders of the three countries agreed on the importance of sharing information on projects, initiatives, good practices, lessons learned and science and technologies to strengthen their disaster management capabilities.  This will involve enhanced cooperation in developing a comprehensive disaster management framework, working out measures to reduce vulnerability to disaster while minimizing the damage, and strengthening effective disaster management at the national, local and community levels.

To facilitate the agreed-upon cooperation, the three countries agreed to hold trilateral meetings at each country’s government agencies that address disaster management.

The Commission on Cyber Security for the 44th Presidency, organized by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, has issued a report entitled‘Securing Cyberspace for the 44th Presidency.’

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A recent conference call on December 8, 2008 with almost 200 participants from around the world heralded the launch of the joint ASIS/BSI project to develop a new American standard for business continuity.  Among the key discussion points was the use of the British standard BS 25999 as a key working document.  The next meeting is set for January 15-16, 2009 in Arlington, VA.  It will be a two-day working meeting to establish the teams that will research, develop and write the draft standard.

Future updates on this important effort will appear in this blog.

The Second Asia Business Continuity Awards (ABCA2008) Ceremony was held on November 5r, 2008 at the Crowne Plaza Changi Airport Hotel in Singapore.  The event was held in conjunction with the 8th Annual Business Continuity Management Conference, with the theme “Unleash the Power of a Green BCM.”

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