Choosing the right solutions to enable your organization to be resilient is based on an understanding of your business needs and your risk management strategies.

This process enables you to profile your business according to its levels of risk, gauge the magnitude of potential disruptions and develop an appropriate response.

How prepared is your organization?

1. Have you recently experienced a disruption? What impact did it have on your operations?
2. What risks pose the greatest threat to your continuous operations?
3. How much downtime can your business afford?
4. Are your critical assets secure and available?
5. Does your contingency plan identify key roles and responsibilities in case of a disaster? Has the plan been communicated to everyone involved? What if those key people are not available?
6. Do you test your continuity plans regularly?
7. Are you satisfied with your current continuity strategy and plans?

By helping to identify vulnerabilities, your business can begin to create plans that your people, and your systems, are ready to execute should a crisis situation arise.

Here are some further steps to consider when developing a flexible response to disaster warnings.

Considerations for preparing for catastrophic events:

• Focus on people safety first
• Adopt the Incident Command System (ICS), endorsed by the Dept. of Homeland Security
• Understand the relationship between public and private sectors
• Update your emergency management procedures
• Set up geographically dispersed emergency operations centers
• Establish an emergency notification system
• Conduct desktop exercises
• Continuously realign your business continuity organization to match changes and updates

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