Improve business efficiency, eliminate day-to-day mishaps, and prepare for the worst-with effective disaster contingency planning Working in lower Manhattan on September 11th, 2001, Donna Childs became keenly aware of the need for small businesses to develop disaster contingency plans and grateful that her own business had implemented such plans and would remain financially sound. Now, with the assistance of IT consultant Stefan Dietrich, she draws upon her unique experience to present proven guidelines for small and midsize businesses to effectively prepare for catastrophes in Contingency Planning and Disaster Recovery: A Small Business Guide. Childs and Dietrich take small business owners through every stage of disaster planning, from preparation to response to recovery. Specific issues addressed include: * What to do if the main office location is not accessible * Getting the business up and running again * Contacting third parties * Handling insurance claims * Adequate insurance for property, business interruption losses, and workers' compensation * Rebuilding an IT infrastructure Successful planning not only can limit the damage of an unforeseen disaster but also can minimize daily mishaps-such as the mistaken deletion of files-and increase a business's overall efficiency. Contingency Planning and Disaster Recovery is the only contingency guide that small business owners need to ensure their company's continued success.

A time-tested plan for ensuring that your business doesn't crash along with your computer systems Now in Paper! As modern organizations grow more dependent on computerized systems and other technologies, it becomes increasingly important that management develop disaster recovery and business continuity programs that mimimize the damaging and costly disruptions caused by technology failure or worse. This book provides a time-tested plan for doing precisely that. With vital information that any business can easily adapt to their organization, it presents a step-by-step model for developing, testing, and maintaining a cost-effective, long-range strategic plan that can stand up to natural, environmental, and man-made disasters—as well as the scrutiny of auditors. The plan offered here is so innovative and powerful that it was recently copyrighted. With the help of numerous examples illustrating proven solutions in action, Total Contingency Planning for Disasters shows how to: Prepare an effective contingency plan Sharpen the focus of your existing plan on specific disasters and a disasters impact on individual business units Communicate effectively with management at every stage of the plan Pinpoint development process planning roles and responsibilities KENNETH N. MYERS (Annapolis, Maryland) is one of the world's foremost innovators in the field of contingency planning. His firm, K.N. Myers & Associates, has prepared disaster recovery and business continuation plans for organizations in both the United States and Europe.

Rather than providing readers with only one perspective on testing contingency plans, Mr. Rothstein has taken the powerful approach of carefully assembling a panel of thirty professionals to contribute their unique expertise in 36 detailed chapters, 350+ pages,covering such subject areas as:- test planning and management, including management's role, budgeting, justification and politics- test participants and resources, including professional development, human factors, the test team, self-assessment, the roles of vendors, consultants, auditors, clients, software- testing methods, including walkthroughs, simulations, joint testing, surprise testing, real disasters as the ultimate test- what is being tested, including business units, locations, data centers, voice / data communications, trading floors, local area networks- any other practical considerations, such as test monitoring, first-time testing, feedback, reporting and follow-up;even a sample test plan is included.

With the help of an implementation strategy, guidelines for minimizing development costs, and insight into a proven plan development methodology, Manager's Guide to Contingency Planning for Disasters: Protecting Vital Facilities and Critical Operations helps you to: * Establish a corporate contingency plan policy and strategy that will ensure timely completion of a plan with minimal disruption to operations. * Minimize plan development costs * Understand the importance of conducting briefings to communicate the proper mindset before the plan development process begins. * Save time and money by avoiding the consultant's traditional approach of extensive information-gathering that contributes little to the development of practical solutions Remember that you have good people on your management team who don't need a lot of detailed instruction on how to do things in an emergency situation. Precisely "how" they do anything will depend on the specific nature of the disaster and the extent of the damage. Addressing complex hypothetical disaster combinations does not make good business sense. Just prepare "what if" strategies for a worst case and rely on the judgment of your line managers to cope with less severe incidents.

Every year, nearly one in five businesses suffers a major disruption to its data or voice networks or communications systems. Since 9/11 it has become increasingly important for companies to implement a plan for disaster recovery. This comprehensive book addresses the operational and day-to-day security management requirements of business stability and disaster recovery planning specifically tailored for the needs and requirements of an Information Security Officer. This book has been written by battle tested security consultants who have based all the material, processes and problem- solving on real-world planning and recovery events in enterprise environments world wide.John has over 25 years experience in the IT and security sector. He is an often sought management consultant for large enterprise and is currently a member of the Federal Communication Commission's Homeland Security Network Reliability and Interoperability Council Focus Group on Cybersecurity, working in the Voice over Internet Protocol workgroup. James has over 30 years experience in security operations and technology assessment as a corporate security executive and positions within the intelligence, DoD, and federal law enforcement communities. He has a Ph.D. in information systems specializing in information security and is a member of Upsilon Pi Epsilon (UPE), the International Honor Society for the Computing and Information Disciplines. He is currently an Independent Consultant.·Provides critical strategies for maintaining basic business functions when and if systems are shut down·Establishes up to date methods and techniques for maintaining second site back up and recovery·Gives managers viable and efficient processes that meet new government rules for saving and protecting data in the event of disasters

Annotation Hiatt (California State University) helps businesses evaluate their vulnerability to accidents and disasters, and guides them through the process of creating a disaster recovery plan. The second half of the book consists of 33 appendices with diagrams, lists, questionnaires, procedures, surveys, contacts, and case studies. No index. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com).