On Monday 16 August 2010, join me for this 1-day Masterclass.
Business Continuity Planning… how can you ensure that your BCP meets compliance requirements imposed by your regulators - or your customers’ regulators? What are the ‘tricks’ that auditors may use on you?
This one-day masterclass will provide an interactive environment that will enable you to:
Understand how to review your organisation’s BC/DR processes
Prepare for organisational certification/compliance with APRA, ISO/PAS 22399, BS25999, AS HB221:2004, Sarbanes-Oxley and Basel II requirements related to BCP/DR
Plan for organisational (self) assessment and benchmarking initiatives in regards to NFPA 1600, ITIL and CobiT
Know how to avoid common mistakes and pitfalls in relation to BC audits
Learn how to present findings and recommendations to senior management
Business As Usual is presenting an advanced 3-day workshop on BCP Testing, Business Continuity Compliance and Pandemic Planning in Kuala Lumpur & Dubai, 2010
Topics that will be discussed as part of the workshop include:
Translating threats into key impact scenarios such as loss of premises, IT or staff
Preparing and conducting various types of BCP tests/rehearsals
Financial Industry and other BCM Compliance aspects
How to understand auditors better and how to satisfy their BCM Audit requirements
The 8-step best practice model for Business Continuity Planning including free templates
Best practice Pandemic Planning techniques
Dates & location:
Mon 22 - Wed 24 February 2010 (9:00am - 5:00pm) - Grand Millennium Hotel (Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia)
This video in which BNET interview Rinske Geerlings of Business As Usual, may inspire you:
Further ideas for small businesses, on how to be better prepared for little or no cost:
1) For loss of building: Have good diversion procedures in place, and use a hotel room or make a reciprocal agreement with a trusted other (small) business as initial place of work where you can use phones/PC’s/desks and Internet connection.
2) For loss of key people: Good job rotation policies, delegated authority, and again sharing staff with a trusted other business.
3) For loss of IT/information: Utilise free uploading capacity offered by some Internet providers to conduct remote/online backups.
4) For a supply chain issue (clients/suppliers): Have dual suppliers for key services, and contact key suppliers/banks/regulators soon after an incident to request delayed payment/reporting terms. Ensure the revenue coming from one key customer is never able to “make or break” your business.
Here’s also an interesting word for you - “crisitunity”
See article below…
NOT A PROBLEM BUT AN OPPORTUNITY
Susan Dominus, writing in the New York Times on 8 January, talked about CRISITUNITY, a blend of “crisis” and “opportunity” (though she spells it “crisatunity”, a less common version). It’s used by political activists for a problem that provides an opportunity to communicate their views and mobilise support. It derives from an episode of The Simpsons dated 1994, in which Homer’s daughter Lisa tells him that the Chinese use the same word both for “crisis” and “opportunity”. Homer replies, “Yes! Cris-atunity!”
The Chinese word for “crisis” is made up of the signs for “danger” and “opportunity” (or “time for change”) which President John F Kennedy gave a boost when he mentioned it in a speech in 1969.
Thousands of homes and businesses in Sydney’s CBD will be without phone, internet or mobile services today - and some could be cut off for several days - after a contractor accidentally severed crucial underground cables.
While the exact extent of the outage is not yet known, the impact to businesses could be as high as millions of dollars, businesses say.
Business As Usual is conducting FREE Business Continuity workshops for Small and Medium Sized businesses (SMEs) across NSW as part of NSW Small Business Month (September 2009)
Topics that will be discussed as part of the workshop include:
How to properly assess threats (e.g. cyclones, swine flu, power outages)
Translating these into key impact scenarios such as loss of premises, IT or staff
Identifying your time-critical business activities and customers
Developing plans and implementing provisions to continue key parts of your business
Having the right diversion procedures and authorisations ready
Preparing simple documentation and checklists for when ‘it hits the fan’
As swine flu rapidly spreads across the country, NSW businesses are claiming it is responsible for atleast 40 percent of all sick leave taken in New South Wales, hindering productivity.
The NSW Health Department believes swine flu is now responsible for 50 to 60 percent of the state’s influenza cases, while the NSW Business Chamber said swine flu is expected to cost NSW businesses nearly $1 billion.
A spectacular fire has gutted Silver Top Taxis’ headquarters in Melbourne, causing $1 million damage and sending the city’s cab service into chaos. The fire is thought to have started in a downstairs office on Tuesday morning and spread quickly throughout the timber warehouse-style building in Collingwood, which includes a call centre for taxi bookings. Silver Top cabs, which make up around 40 to 50 per cent of Melbourne’s taxis, were unable to take radio bookings all day. The Victorian Taxi Association says Silver Top’s radio network could be up and running by Wednesday afternoon after a Sydney taxi depot donated its new computer hardware.
More than 100 construction workers ran for their lives at a Sydney CBD building site when scaffolding that forced a work shutdown last year buckled in a busy street.
Superintendent Mick Fuller of the City Central local area command said more than 100 city workers had been evacuated from the buildings near the site.
He said if the scaffolding did collapse, debris could fall within 100 metres of the site and damage buildings on the other site of Castlereagh Street, including the Sheraton Hotel.
He said parts of the Sheraton Hotel had been evacuated and government structural engineers were on their way to access the damage.
Police Superintendent Michael Fuller said engineers would work to secure the site. The operation would take three or four days.
Hugo Paul, a partner at Paul & Paul Lawyers said he had been trying to access his building since 7.30am.
“Everyone is in a holding pattern. So we can’t make any money. No one is answering the phones,'’ he said.
Hong Kong officials gave kindergarten and primary school kids an early break for the Easter holiday in the midst of a widespread flu outbreak.
Health Secretary York Chow made the decision late Wednesday to call off classes for two weeks, through March 28.
“All primary schools, special schools and kindergartens and child care centers will be closed in the hope of slowing down the spreading of flu and provide a chance for schools to clean up and make a better environment,” Chow said.
The government has ordered an investigation as three children have died in the last week of the outbreak. One of them was seven-year-old Law Ho-Ming, who was admitted over the weekend with flu-like symptoms. He died on Tuesday.
Officials say five of his classmates are sick and hospitalized, while 30 others are displaying similar flu-like symptoms.
By imposing the two-week break from school, health authorities are hoping to slow the spread of influenza.
