Episodes

In our final part of the 3 part series on testing BCP/DR plans, we focus on what you should be doing during the test, how to collect findings information and how to package the information for Executive consumption. All to often tests just happen and people move on to other things but to ensure success and ensure that objectives have been met, proper findings documentation and Executive Summary(s) need to be created. Tune in and get some tips on how to manage the collection of issues and actions...

Carrying on from our last episode, this week's show focuses on the various ways we can test our Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Plans; from basic walkthroughs to full scale simulations. We'll discuss how to start documenting the planning process; from walkthroughs to full scale simulations. The Test Charter will ensure that all teams involved work from the same 'playbook' allowing for a greater level of understanding, awareness, direction and ultimately success. By using this approach ...

We can spent allot of resources on creating Disaster Recovery, Business Continuity and Emergency Response plans full of content that might help us during a disaster but the content doesn't mean a thing if it hasn't been validated through testing. This episode, Part 1 of a 3 part series about testing our BCM / DR plans, will focus on obtaining the value of testing and how to obtain buy-in from an organization's leadership.

Have you ever watched news reports after disasters and seen animals wandering looking for their owners, or owners upset because they can't find their pets? You've probably seen the scenes - they pull at our heart strings. This week's episode will focus on often forgotten elements that people forget when it comes to pets; choosing the right pet, pet care, integrating pets into a household and caring for pets during disasters and emergencies. For many, pets are members of the family and we often f...

When people think of Fire Services the first thing that comes to mind is usually a large fire truck with sirens blaring, heading towards black smoke, yet there is so much more to Fire Protection than just red trucks, fire hoses and black smoke billowing from a burning building. This episode of Preparing for the Unexpected will focus on all areas of Fire Protection and Fire Services and how we can prepare our offices and our homes when a fire breaks out. We’ll be speaking with guest Mr. Tony Saba...

Resiliency; a term very misunderstood and communicated in the BCM/DR industry. Some believe it's a product you buy off a shelf while others think they can hire someone to come in for a short time and suddenly their organizations become resilient. But that's not the case. Resiliency is much deeper than that. This week's guest, Ken Simpson, a driving and pioneering expert on what resiliency really is, will discuss the topic in detail to help remove the misguided beliefs held by many BCM/DR profess...

In this week's episode we talk about one of the most critical aspects of any Business Continuity / Disaster Recovery program - communications! Communication is highly misunderstood and many individuals, organizations and communities don't quite get it right; from idea inception to planning to execution. When communications are managed exceptionally well, amazing things can result but when communications are mismanaged or not managed at all, it can have dire consequences. We'll talk to Communicat...

In this episode of Preparing for the Unexpected, we will talk with long-time BCM and Information Security expert, Alvaro Orrantia. We'll be discussing BCM / DR programs at the overview level and touch on some key concepts with some interesting perspectives and insight. We'll touch on key topics such as; a) distinguishing Business need with IT capabilities, b) Validation/testing and test governance, c) program maintenance, d) customer/client/employee expectations, d) customer/supplier involvement...

Quite often BCM/DR professionals will find their efforts fall off the rails and their disaster and business continuity programs aren't running as smoothly as they'd expected. That's because they may not be are of some key aspects that help manage their efforts; Project Management. This weeks show will provide some key tips and ideas from Project Management expert, S. Rosalind Baker. Sue will provide some great insights on how we can better manage our projects regardless of size or industry. We'l...

This episode will focus on Emergency and Disaster Management, and how academia and certification and the training of individuals helps with the development and execution of appropriate disaster plans. We will also touch base on The International Emergency Management Society (TIEMS) and how it's mission, goals and objectives are being delivered to ensure standardization and certification in Emergency and Disaster Management.