It is well known that approximately 85% of our infrastructure which we consider to be "critical" is owned and operated by the private sector.  Critical infrastructure and key resources comprises systems and assets, whether physical or virtual, so vital to the United States that their incapacitation or destruction would not only have a severe local impact but would also produce cascading effects far beyond the physical location of an incident. An event would have a debilitating impact on national security, national economic security, public health or safety, or any combination of those. 

9/11 AND KATRINA
In the mid 90s, contingency planning focused on the recovery of data and technology.  While sustaining the technical arena of a business is crucial, it is just one of many components to business operations.  Business Continuity has evolved into an all-hazards approach to protecting a business and ensuring its continued survival.  The 9/11 terrorist attacks and the devastating aftermath of Katrina revealed not only is terrorism a concern but natural and man-made disaster can have a paralyzing effect on an affected area as well have rippling effects on the rest of the country.

'Private sector preparedness is not a luxury; it is a cost of doing business in the post 9/11 world.  It is ignored at a tremendous potential cost in lives, money, and national security.'

This conclusion was reached by the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, the 9/11 Commission, in making a specific finding about private sector preparedness.  The Commission found that the private sector was not prepared for the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, and that, despite 9/11, the private sector remained largely unprepared at the time of its final report.  The 9/11 Commission's central recommendation of this area was that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) promote private sector preparedness standards that establish a common set of criteria and terminology for preparedness, disaster management, emergency management, and business continuity programs. 

THE VALUE TO BUSINESSES
Business contingency planning is the cost of doing business and should be done regardless of whether that business engages with the federal government.  There are numerous advantages of having business continuity plans in place but those of most importance to businesses are: 

CONCLUSION
PS-PREP ensures businesses at the local level are able to rebound after an event that affects the business.  This lessens the impact of the devastation on people's homes, families, their work, and the overall economy of the area.  By requesting private sector organizations take responsibility for their community and to comply with PS-PREP, the federal government is able to rely on the local economies as partners in responding to disasters.
Business Continuity professionals are already addressing its implications with senior management teams and are considering how to participate and prepare.  Organizations that have not developed plans to date or organizations needing to revisit their plans should take the first step and have a Gap Analysis performed on the organization.  This analysis will clearly identify which areas of the organization's business continuity program should be addressed and will be the first step in establishing a plan to take the organization into compliance.

Patrice Beck Stein, CBCP, is located in Hampton Roads, Virginia and is the Director for Continuity First, Inc., a KIS strategic partner headquartered in Richmond, Virginia.  She serves as President of the Hampton Roads Association of Contingency Planners and is a Director on the national board of the Association of Contingency Planners.  Patrice can be reached at 804-559-6623 x200 or via email at Patrice.Stein@ContinuityFirst.com. www.ContinuityFirst.com