Business Continuity and Resumption becomes more important to businesses when something goes wrong. The panic sets in, the rush to make things right, and then the finger-pointing aftermath. Many companies take the gamble because business continuity and resumption seems like such a daunting task, and who really has time for all that? Here are four steps to motivate you to get started on your Business Continuity and Resumption Planning (BCRP).
One of the great places to start your Business Continuity and Resumption Planning process is to conduct an All Hazards Risk Assessment. A good all hazards assessment will short-list what your company (per location) will need to address in your planning. For example, are hurricanes prevalent in your operating area, or is that St. Louis branch far inland and unaffected by such weather conditions? What are the historic norms for your hot list of hazards? Now that you have completed your All Hazards Risk Assessment, you have great intel to begin your Business Continuity and Resumption Planning journey…
Tip #1 Leverage Your Internal Resources
Your company has many unique processes and programming to deliver your product or service to market. The greatest experts are therefore within your own operations. There are many front-line personnel who hold amazing amounts of historical and current know-how. Whether you tackle this planning alone or with a consultant, you need to ensure this knowledge base is exploited for the good of your company and you need to resist any third-party consultant that wishes to move you towards a cookie-cutter approach to Business Continuity and Resumption Planning. Leverage your internal resources and save yourself money in the long run.
Tip #2 Break Up the Work Into Small Tasks
BCRP does not come together overnight. Organize a team of internal stakeholders from various departments within your operations. Develop a questionnaire to be sent out to every department within your operations. Send it to that department’s manager. Have each department rank their critical processes and equipment/material needs. Don’t overload them and don’t give these folks to many tasks to do at once, or they simple will push this to the side of their desks.
Tip #3 Analyze Responses and Probe Loss
Now that your team has flushed out what may be critical to your specific business units, have each department take another small bite of the BCRP pie. Have your team develop a rating system for the impact of loss of process or equipment, based on time. What will the impact be if this process, equipment, or other asset be unavailable for (5 minutes, 20 minutes, 40 minutes, 1 hour, and so on). Include 24, 48, and 72-hour time frames.
Tip #4 Zero in and Get Creative
Now have your team work with the departments to sort out what was “nice to have” on the lists, as opposed to what is really CRITICAL to company operations. When you have whittled things down to what is truly critical, it’s time to work creatively on solutions that will help your company RESUME operations, following an emergency. Think out of the box to see what you can borrow, patch or share within and outside of your operations. Pen agreements and devise plans around these valuable recovery resources and begin to assemble these items NOW, while there is no active crisis to deal with. Ensure that you update this entire process on a regular basis.
There are many ways to tackle the Business Continuity and Resumption Planning process. This is one very simplistic way of starting something from scratch. In an upcoming blog post, I will share some examples from the field regarding some of these items and issues. Good luck with your BCRP! If Premier Risk Solutions can be of assistance, please do not hesitate to reach out!
Time: 18:41 ~ In this second installment of PRS Radio, Joe Zaccaria, Managing Director of Consulting interviews Daniel Nietzel of Fighting Chance Solutions, makers of The Sleeve and Rampart. In the event of an active shooter incident, The Sleeve and Rampart work with two different door types to prevent a shooter from entering a room.
This article could easily be titled, “The Things People Do”. When it comes to assessing business continuity and resumption (BCR), I think I have seen it all until the next assignment. Here are some gems to get you thinking about your environment and things to keep your eyes on.
The Obvious Not Being Obvious
I once worked in a very secure environment that required security clearances for everyone, including the custodians. It was a critical operation that had to function with 99.999 reliability. On my first day I inspected the building and grounds from top to bottom with the Facility Manager. My role was Security and Business Continuity Manager. I had us commence the tour in the subbasement “bunker” of the building. We entered an electrical vault and I could not believe my eyes. Despite massive amounts of money spent on a post-disaster structure, the architect created a nightmare from a business continuity perspective. In this same room that was only about 8′ x 12′, he designed it to house the main electrical panel for the entire building. What’s wrong with that you ask? Well, also inside the room with this panel was the primary electrical transformer. Does it get worse? YES. Also housed in this room was the backup transformer hanging disconnected on a pipe and suspended off the ground, ready to be placed into action, if needed. Well conceivably if the primary transformer blew up, wouldn’t it damage the backup sitting across from it and possibly the main electrical panel sitting next to it? The estimate to correct this was over $400,000. The Things People Do.
The VPN Is Too Private
Today’s tech companies rely heavily on Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) as a critical component of business continuity, enabling secure work-from-home access and reliable connectivity for employees. One client had a site with a headcount of 140 FTEs, but that number was projected to rise dramatically within months. While every employee was equipped with laptops and cell phones—the essential tools for remote productivity—the business continuity challenge quickly became apparent: VPN licenses. Without adequate VPN licenses, their ability to maintain seamless operations during growth or disruptions would be compromised, creating a significant business continuity risk.
In this case, even with strong infrastructure and proven internet reliability during previous natural disasters, the lack of foresight in scaling VPN access created a vulnerability in the organization’s business continuity planning. We’ve encountered this issue repeatedly in our consulting practice, illustrating that business continuity is not just about tools but also about anticipating growth, budgeting for scalability, and ensuring every operational component is ready to withstand disruptions.
What about your organization—are you confident in your business continuity strategy?
These are just a couple of examples of the many things you may encounter as you chip away at your Business Continuity and Resumption Planning. The Business Continuity Institute (BCI) has courses and guides that may also assist you. Thanks to my good friend, Clive Lunn for reminding me after my last post!
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At Premier Risk Solutions (PRS), we specialize in helping organizations of all sizes strengthen their business continuity strategies and proactively mitigate operational risks. From scaling technology infrastructure to designing comprehensive contingency plans, PRS provides the expertise and actionable solutions your business needs to stay resilient in the face of growth, crises, and unexpected disruptions.
Partner with PRS today to ensure your business continuity plan isn’t just a document, but a competitive advantage. Contact us to schedule a consultation and safeguard your organization’s future.
Behavioral threat assessment is an essential tool for reducing risk in places of employment. While the workplace is traditionally thought of as a place to go to focus on projects relative to one’s employment and interact with your peers for collaboration & innovation, there are external as well as internal threats that security & risk managers must deal with on a regular daily basis. Domestic violence seeps into the workplace often times creating an uncomfortable environment for the threatened individual and perhaps their colleagues, rendering an unproductive work environment for all. Workplace violence incidents have become fairly mainstream in recent years with semi-regular reminders in the news that those who wish to do us harm are out there and often times do present precursors to others who may not consider reporting odd or irregular behaviors to management.
Risk Management for Behavioral Threat Helps Prevent Incidents
Whether it be domestic issues spilling into the workplace, or internal threats of employee on employer violence, both need to be taken very seriously. The Risk Management Team for the organization should review each event together to agree upon next steps towards resolution. These next steps may include the need for bringing in an outside consultant who is experienced in dealing with such behaviors on a regular basis. It could also include additional support services for surveillance on the person creating the threatening situation or perhaps protective agents to be put into place for the person being threatened; in select cases it may require both. However, every robust and holistic risk management program should have a Behavioral Psychologist who specializes in Workplace Incidents to have them conduct and facilitate the Behavioral Threat Assessment of the individual creating the problem in or for the workplace. The Behavioral Threat Assessment will help establish the baseline needs in the next steps in resolving the problem.
Here at PRS, we offer a packed service with having Dr. Michael Corcoran on retainer with us to help provide you with peace of mind in the Behavioral Threat Assessment process. We believe in a “menu” approach to provide comfort and reduce fear. Depending upon the severity of each individual circumstance, PRS can further provide the surveillance operatives to monitor the activities of the person posing the threat to gain additional intelligence on the person’s whereabouts, activities, demeanor, etc and/or deploy our protective services agents to create a much more comfortable environment for the person(s) being threatened so you can sleep well at night. PRS management takes great strides in our execution of operations to ensure your organizational brand and integrity are represented in the most professional manner possible! Please contact us to find out how we can help you in this area.
Do you have an effective convention center event security plan? Unfortunately, organizations put themselves at risk when the answer to that question is “no.” Corporate marketing teams provide a bevy of convention center events each year that organizations must consider their risk profile for. From “Gold Club” events that allow top tier performers to relax in a highly desirable destination setting, to “All-Hands” events that bring all staff members of an organization together (along with perhaps key vendors and customers), the environment of such activities held off-site from the corporate offices does bring a different risk profile to attendees and the organization. Threats and vulnerabilities will change when venues change.
Why Do You Need Convention Center Security?
Organizations have a Duty of Care for their staff while they are on business travel. In as much the venues where such convention center events are held by an organization’s marketing and sales teams are viewed as an extension of the workplace and much have proper safety and security in place for it as well.
Visit Our Website
At Premier Risk Solutions (PRS), we specialize in helping organizations of all sizes strengthen their business continuity strategies and proactively mitigate operational risks. From scaling technology infrastructure to designing comprehensive contingency plans, PRS provides the expertise and actionable solutions your business needs to stay resilient in the face of growth, crises, and unexpected disruptions.
Partner with PRS today to ensure your business continuity plan isn’t just a document, but a competitive advantage. Contact us to schedule a consultation and safeguard your organization’s future.
