Two Years Later, Still Adrift?

Two Years Later, Still Adrift? - CFO Magazine - September Issue 2003 - CFO.com: "Two Years Later, Still Adrift?

After 9/11, business continuity got plenty of attention, but many companies remain ill-prepared for disaster.

Scott Leibs, CFO Magazine September 01, 2003
In the weeks following September 11, 2001, the New York Board of Trade (NYBOT) was praised, in these pages and elsewhere, for having invested in a disaster recovery plan that proved nearly priceless. The commodities exchange had been spending $300,000 annually for a backup facility that sat idle for years, an expense that had been questioned but that paid off: the exchange not only used the site in the days after 9/11 but continues to use the site as its de facto headquarters as it transitions to a new one in lower Manhattan this month.

That was the kind of success story that was supposed to galvanize the business-continuity market, highlighting as it did the vulnerability not only of computer systems but also of phone, power, and transportation grids. What had been seen as an issue affecting primarily a company's data center was now framed as a strategic imperative affecting every aspect of infrastructure."

COMMENT:
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This article reinforces the reality of this fact. Even if you have tested your BCP, it doesn't mean that your suppliers and partners have. As part of the audit of your continuous continuity (C2) include the check up on your most vital 3rd party companies. They must be as prepared and resilient as you are. You may require that they be included in all of your scenario exercises to make sure that you know their level of readiness.