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Posted: 2007-12-03 / Author: John McElborough
Planning For Business ContinuityIn the volatile world we live in today, any business in the world could be jeopardised by any number of external influences, how can you prepare your business correctly to cope with the unexpected crises that could occur at any time.
With the western world being on a constantly heightened security alert, natural disasters occurring more and more frequently and other threats that have not even been predicted, today's world is a risky place to live in. However with careful planning and foresight, your business and stakeholders do not have to be kept in the dark about possible dangers, problems or risks.
Reliable communication plays a significant role in resolving incidents successfully, and minimising disruption. During times of desperation, simple, clear communication can be a huge life saver. It is human nature to panic when unexpected disasters strike, but as Rudyard Kipling's poem 'If' concurs, "If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs" you will be able to remain calm, think logically and make the best possible judgments.
The tragic events of the London bombings on the 07/07/2005 not only killed many innocent people but caused mayhem throughout London, and effected many other places in the world. Due to the attacks, most of the mobile phone networks in the UK either did not have any service or had very limited service, this compounded the problems, making communication near impossible. Fortunately the emergency services relied on a separate system which stood up to the extreme circumstances and allowed effective communications between all rescue parties, the London Underground, hospitals, police and other authorities.
In addition to the emergency services, hundreds of corporate businesses relied on the same system as part of their own incident and business continuity. Thousands of businesses across London were kept informed through the city of London Bombwatch scheme.
Any successful business will know the importance of its staff, usually the knowledge, training and experience of the staff means it is the single most important asset of a company. Since staff members are so crucial, is it not worth taking every precaution in order to protect them from any possible threat? Demonstrating that a company is totally committed to the safety of its staff could also be a huge motivational booster and incentive to work for that company!
A business that is not prepared is completely vulnerable to any unexpected glitch, and will most likely be hit with severe financial problems trying to get back on track. It is a legal requirement for establishments to have a fire evacuation plan and perform regular drills, so why not take the initiative to go one step further and invest in a reliable communications backup to cope in any situation. It's an unfortunate representation of the modern world that such precautions are necessary, but for the added peace of mind and security, every business should not take any chances.
Business continuity and incident management is no longer just for big corporates and globals- every business should be thinking about how their operations may be effected by disaster.
About the Author: PageOne offers unique paging solutions that can be tailor made for any business, big or small. More about incident business continuity and incident management
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