Join us for an exploration of the intersection between two key disciplines -- business continuity (BC) and risk management (RM). We'll cover the BC/RM relationship within organizations, how BC professionals can add value to risk programs, and how to best interact with your risk counterparts. You'll also learn about DRI's new Risk Management for the Business Continuity Professional course and the associated certification.

The free, hour-long webinar will take place Thursday, July 10, from 2:00-3:00 p.m. EDT. Certified professionals can earn one CEAP for attending. Click here to register.

Our speakers are:

Randy F. Jouben, CBCP, CPCU, ARM, MBCI is Director, Risk Management at FIVE GUYS Enterprises, LLC headquartered in Lorton, VA, and is responsible protecting the tangible and intangible assets of the organization. Jouben has a diverse risk management background with over 26 years' experience. Jouben is on the RIMS local Chapter Board of Directors and is a member of the National External Affairs Committee, and he serves as Chairman of the Professional Development Committee for DRI International.

Louis Drapeau, MBCP, ARM, is Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of DRI International. He has been a member of the
Board since 2007. He is also a past President of RIMS. Drapeau is Director of Risk Management at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, a position he has held since November, 2003. Prior to that, he was the Risk Manager for The Budd Company/ThyssenKrupp USA in Troy, MI for 22 years.

Drew Buchanan, CBCP, CISSP, C|EH, CPT, CSSA, FEMA Level 1 PCP, is a Threat Analyst and Risk Management SME for Bowhead Systems Management. He is a U.S. Marine Corps veteran and has led risk and threat assessment teams supporting missions for the Secretary of Defense, the White House, and other agencies. In 2013, Buchanan was given the Secretary of Defense Award for Excellence for his contributions in risk management.  

If Risk Management is an area of particular interest to you, consider signing up for our Risk Management for the Business Continuity Professional course to be held August 25-29 in Washington, D.C.

Chloe Demrovsky (Left); Traci O'Neal (Right)

DRI International is proud to announce the promotion of Chloe Demrovsky to Executive Director, with overall responsibility for all operations and planning for DRI International, and Traci O'Neal to Senior Director of Operations, a newly-created position that will integrate the reporting of all domestic services and logistical support. 

"DRI International has enjoyed great success over the last several years. Our reputation is at an all-time high around the world and our outlook is extremely bright," said DRI President Al Berman. "None of this could have been accomplished without an exceptionally dedicated and talented staff. So, as we searched for the next generation of leadership, we decided to explore the great talent within our organization. As a result, we proudly announce the promotion of two of our own to lead DRI International into the future: Chloe Demrovsky and Traci O'Neal."

Demrovsky joined DRI six years ago and became the organization's first Director of Global Operations.  Under her leadership, DRI became the world's leading global business continuity education and certification body. Demrovsky, who speaks French and Spanish, provided the impetus for creating education and certification for local language training and application processing, which expanded DRI's ability to attract more international students and applicants. Today, DRI teaches in 12 languages, certifies in eight, and teaches 35 percent more students outside the U.S. than within.

Additionally, Demrovsky is an adjunct professor at New York University, teaching a course in public private sector partnership. She serves on the DRI Foundation Board as chairperson of the marketing and communications committee and has traveled to India and Kenya to work on private sector solutions for poverty alleviation. 

"I look forward to continuing my service to the DRI community in this new capacity," Demrovsky said.  "My experience in leading the international business is a great foundation for leading DRI into its next phase of development. DRI International plays a key role in promoting a global base of common knowledge for resilience. Our future is bright and I am excited to be a part of it."

O'Neal has been with DRI since 2008 and has been Director of Certification since 2011. Under O'Neal's leadership, DRI has grown to be the dominant business continuity certification worldwide. Instrumental in the addition of audit, government, healthcare and risk management certifications, she has enabled DRI International to expand into areas outside of traditional BCM, thus expanding DRI's influence and market share. 

O'Neal successfully led campaigns to recertify professionals with lapsed certifications and to encourage certified professionals to move to the next level of certification, resulting in double the number of MBCPs in the last four years. She also created and implemented a new staffing model for domestic operations, streamlining processes and increasing effectiveness across the board.

"I'm excited for this new challenge and the many opportunities it presents," said O'Neal. "I look forward to continuing to contribute to DRI and supporting our growing community of certified professionals." 

Is it possible to predict the future? Not quite -- but with Cyberspace2025, organizations have a chance to make some solid predictions to protect their data and plan for success.

Microsoft's new simulation helps governments, corporations, and other organizations see how today's cybersecurity decisions will affect the world of 2025, where -- based on current trends -- 4.7 billion people will be online, and 80% of Internet connections could originate from a mobile device. 

"The Cyberspace2025 model illustrates that the failure to prepare for these demographic shifts, particularly aging populations, can have serious consequences for unprepared countries," says Matt Thomlinson, Vice President, Microsoft Security. "It even affects cybersecurity as many more ICT systems are deployed to scale services that countries may lack the technical expertise to manage."

The model offers three views of the future: 

• Peak -- one of continuing growth and effective policies
• Plateau -- one where society struggles with the challenges of cybersecurity, and
• Canyon -- the worst-case scenario, with cybersercurity that fails to respond to changing technology or threat conditions. 

Uh-oh: looks like a lot of organizations have their work cut out convincing employees they're ready for an emergency!

According to a recent Staples/BCI study, only half of employees believe their workplaces are prepared for a severe emergency. More alarming, nearly two thirds of those polled said their companies hadn't reassessed their safety plans following recent natural disasters. 

Small business employees were the most concerned -- and possibly the most confused -- about their workplace safety. Workers at businesses with less than 50 employees are less sure of who is in charge of emergency planning at their company versus those at larger companies. They also report less emergency equipment and plans in place, and are less likely to run drills and exercises.  

Thinking about these results, it might be a good time for BC pros to enlighten the people in their organizations about the work they're doing!