THRIVE! The official publication of DRI International
Issue #2 is now available! 

Of late, world weather events and current events have taken on a "Ripley's Believe it or Not" quality.  And for us, planners, predictors, and pessimists by trade - you know, the masters of disaster, the gloom and doom team, the hand wringing worriers, the not-a-profit-center cost drain, the Chicken Littles - when surprising things go wrong for companies and communities, "selling" contingency solutions becomes a little easier, right?

So, rewind a week and try telling the folks in Russia that a meteorite will come smashing and crashing through the atmosphere, shattering thousands of windows and injuring scores of people. They'd probably respond with a non-believing torrent of words indicating that your mind was somewhere other than in your skull.  But from now on, those who are fixing the windows and nursing injuries will forever have their eyes skyward, looking for something other than sunsets and pretty cloud formations.

What if you'd told the professional golfers in the desert of Arizona that blizzard-like conditions would cancel the day (or days) of golf because snow suddenly blanketed the fairways and greens.  They'd have thought you were crazy too.  But that's exactly what happened during Wednesday's first round of the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship. Golfer Jason Day told USA Today: "I've never actually played golf to the point where we've actually stopped for snow, which is kind of crazy. But that's just how it is. Mother Nature can just do whatever she wants." Read more about that here, and be prepared to hear more about this particular storm, which is marching eastward with determination and fierceness.

Have we not seen some of our most prominent and public companies hacked by unknown sources? Did we not see one of the world's most prominent cruise lines experience a power problem at sea rendering it disabled and disgusting? Did we not also just experience a blizzard of mammoth proportions in the Northeast, as well as super storms, and hurricanes? And hasn't the world been experiencing more than its fair share of flooding and severe weather?

As masters of planning for the unpredictable, we are now in a somewhat enviable position of not having to "sell" our need for business continuity strategies and solutions. That's why you need to be the best cheerleader that you can be for your resiliency programs. Be the voice of reason. Wear your doctor doom hat proudly, but be practical and realistic. Focus on the recovery solutions you'll need if your computer systems or workforce are  unavailable. Prepare for suppliers and vendors experiencing outages of their own, the facility where you work being inaccessible, or your tools and equipment being impacted.  If you ready yourself by concentrating on the outcome of the many, many combinations and permutations of events that may befall you and not necessarily the risk/threat/disaster itself, my guess is that you will be prepared if the meteor flies through your window.

Have a great day, a great weekend, keep your eyes skyward, and enjoy the weekend ahead!

Please share an unusual outage type that may have impacted you, your company, or your community.  You can find me at cberger@driif.org .  Thanks.

Have a great week,

Clyde Berger

  

cberger@driif.org
Vice President and Director of Volunteerism
DRI International Foundation

The Avian Flu Hits Pawnee -  Parks and Recreation Highlight

Rob Lowe dead?!  Avian flu?  You've got to be kidding!  Well, yeah, I am.  Or at least the writers for NBC sitcom "Parks and Recreation" were.  They killed off Rob during a town-wide emergency simulation in last week's episode called "Emergency Response."  Lowe's character, Chris Traeger, clad in a blue emergency response team vest, gleefully hung the skull and crossbones placard around his neck after graphically describing the symptoms to which he succumbed.
 
The rest of the cast got in on the act too.  Amy Poehler's character, Leslie Knope, was in charge of response and had put together the ubiquitous binders.  Her title: Emergency Czar (maybe some of you want to try that one on for size!). Watch the full episode at the show's website to find out why they ended the exercise by intentionally killing off the entire town!  And at least be sure to check out (and share!) the minute-long clip I've included here.
 
It's always interesting when what you do makes the news, but it's usually interesting in a "Wow, I hope they're okay" kind of real-life crisis way.  What's cool is when crisis management and popular culture collide. To me, that's a sign that "it's in there," that the basic understanding of your career and why you do it isn't such a mystery anymore.

Online voting is now open for the DRI International Awards of Excellence in the two categories decided by popular vote.  The categories are Lifetime Achievement Award and Service Provider of the Year.  So, log into your MyDRI to cast your vote now!
 
"A record number of nominations for the Awards of Excellence resulted in a highly-qualified and diverse field from which voters can choose," says AnneMarie Staley, Committee Chair.  "We're excited to open online voting so that DRI-certified professionals can honor their own."
 
To vote, simply log in to your MyDRI account and click on the voting booth category. You must be certified and in good standing to vote. Voting closes April 15, 2013.  The awards will be presented at the Awards of Excellence Gala to be held June 6, during the DRI2013 conference in Philadelphia, PA.
 
The nominees are:
 
Lifetime Achievement Award
This honor goes to a person who has demonstrated exceptional achievement within business continuity, and professional excellence over the course of a significant career in the industry. Nominees must have demonstrated professional credibility, a substantial public relations profile, and respect within the industry in general.

• Thomas Carroll, Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC)
• Richard Fairlamb, Fairlamb Int'l LLC
• Sue Hornstra, GE Capital
• Frank Perlmutter, Strategic BCP
• Jeffrey Yu, DRI China

Service Provider of the Year:
Designed to recognize the very best in service delivery amongst full service business continuity providers, this award recognizes a company's commitment in promoting business continuity to its customer base and the wider audience, which may include staff awareness, training and user-group activity, amongst other efforts.

• Ernie Bryan, Engineering Solutions, Inc.
• Bruce Gillespie, Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC)
• David Mahoney, Northrop Grumman

This just in! We've added a fantastic presentation to the DRI2013 conference program (and stay tuned because there are more surprise sessions to come!).  You won't want to miss "Translating a Global Strategic BC Plan into a Tactical Plan for Evolving Asia" presented by Sallyanne Lerota, GE Capital's Business Continuity Leader Asia Pacific.
 
"Managing business continuity for our network of Asian businesses often challenges the traditional norms of crisis management," says Lerota.  "Almost daily events such as power outage or political unrest in India, rolling earthquakes in New Zealand, and nuclear threats in Japan have changed the way we view BCP in our region.  Gone are the days of a plan that is developed for an event we hope won't happen. Our approach has become increasingly 'tactical' with a greater focus on the humanistic aspects of business continuity and emergency response, and practical solutions to ensure 'business as usual' through regular disruption."
 
A truly outstanding session at a truly outstanding industry event, DRI2013 features an international conference program, superior networking, meaningful volunteer opportunities, and innovative interaction with the provider community. And it's all going to happen June 4-7, 2013, in Philadelphia, PA. Click here for the conference program and register today at www.DRIconference.org!

What do you do when the post-disaster environment is too dangerous for people? Send in WALL*E!

  

The robots unveiled Wednesday at The New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization aren't as cute as the Pixar star, but they are neat looking (for pictures, click here), and they're designed "to help deal with disasters such as the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant and reduce the danger for workers," according to a Japan Times report.

  

Robots move on tracks that can handle stairs and can carry up to 50 kg of instruments and equipment. They are remote controlled and can even recharge and decontaminate themselves!