BCP News

Business Continuity Entries

DRJ: Computer based Modeling and Simulation for BC/DR

Daniel Evenson wrote an article in the Disaster Recovery Journal recently and below is an excerpt:

Modeling and simulation gives us a framework for collecting and using the knowledge we assemble about our companies. As we model the deployments and dependencies, we create excellent documentation assets in the form of diagrams detailing what needs what, and where it's located. We also produce the model which lets us answer questions like why is this server considered Tier 1, or why do we need a four-hour response time on that particular support contract? It's just a matter of connecting the dots, or more specifically the dependency relationships.

Such a sophisticated approach to understanding a business might seem like overkill for smaller companies. But you'd be amazed at how quickly the challenge of comprehending a company's dependencies become overwhelming without a good strategy for tackling it. In the not so distant past, before virtualization and Web technologies, the rate at which complex dependencies crept into use were limited by physical constraints like the time it takes to procure new hardware or the lag in approving and engaging a new vendor. Now change happens quickly. New operating systems are deployed in seconds, or migrated to other datacenters on the fly. Business is moving faster so the exposure to these dependencies is growing and constantly in flux. By modeling and simulating dependencies we give the BC/DR planning and response efforts new capabilities to protect business operations from the risks of failure.

Read the entire article Computer based Modeling and Simulation for BC/DR.

Last accessed Feb 22, 2010

Personal Computer Recovery

When looking at personal continuity planning, one of the areas that we consider is the the recovery of your desktop or laptop. As such I have a list of software that I have on a flash drive as well as a CD. Below is a list of what I have stored

Antivirus: Something you should never be without. I personally use AVG as it is free and uses fewer resources than McAfee or Norton.

Malware remover: There are numerous malware removers available for use. I personally use Spybot S & D, but one can use Ad Aware as well.

Drivers for your computer: I have an IBM laptop and spent an hour downloading all the drivers for my laptop. Should I need to reformat the drive, I can get my system back up to speed in a shorter amount of time. Drivers can be for Audio, WiFi / Ethernet, Monitor, External Drivers, Power Management etc.

Productivity software: MS Office, Turbo Tax, Photoshop, Dreamweaver

Critical software: I keep CDs of all my crucial software on hand along with the serial codes / keys.
CD1 includes includes Open Office (an MS Office alternative), Adobe Reader, SRWare Iron (a Google Chrome alternative), Firefox, Windows Media Player, AVG antivirus, Spybot S &D, CoreFTP, CutePDF(allows one to print to pdf), ReVo Uninstaller.

CD2 includes Adobe Photoshop, Dreamweaver and Cyberlink DVD (the keys is on a txt document in the same folder of each program)

CD3 is my WIndows XP OEM CD so that I can install it from scratch.

CD 4 All drivers.

You want to have them all in a safe but readily accessible location.

Business Continuity Certifications

extracted from The Security Certification Directory published March 17, 2009 on CSO online

Associate Business Continuity Planner (ABCP)
Issuing Org.: DRI International
Description: "The Associate Business Continuity Planner (ABCP) or Associate level, is for individuals with at least a specified minimum level of knowledge in business continuity/disaster recovery planning, but who have not yet attained the two years of experience required for CBCP. Individuals can also qualify if they work in positions related to--but not actually in--business continuity/disaster recovery planning."
More information: DRII

Certified Business Continuity Professional (CBCP)
Issuing Org.: DRI International
Description: "DRII's CBCP certification is reserved for individuals who have demonstrated their knowledge and experience in the business continuity / disaster recovery industry."
Requirements: A minimum of two years of experience as a business continuity/disaster recovery planner.
More information: DRII

Master Business Continuity Professional (MBCP)
Issuing Org.: DRI International
Description: "The Master Business Continuity Professional (MBCP) or Master level, targets an individual with a minimum of five years of experience as a business continuity/disaster recovery planner. In addition, the MBCP must attain a higher score on the CBCP Examination, and either successfully complete a case-study examination or complete a directed research project and paper. An additional prerequisite for the CBCP and MBCP certification levels is the demonstration of proficiency in a specific number of Subject Areas of the Professional Practices for Business Continuity Planners."
More information: DRII

Business Continuity Certified Planner (BCCP)
Issuing Org.: BCM Institute
Description: "The BCCP recognizes practitioners who are involved in developing, implementing and maintaining BC procedures and processes for their business sub-units; as well as for senior and middle management involved in BCM. "
More information: BCM Institute

Business Continuity Certified Specialist (BCCS)
Issuing Org.: BCM Institute
Description: "The specialist's role as it implies are designed to recognised individuals who are participating as department coordinators in the BCP project. The BCCS caters to coordinators supporting business users. The DRCS caters to individuals who are participating in the DR planning stages; usually, overseeing specific areas in the IT infrastructure, application, software and hardware."
Requirements: One year of relevant experience, plus four days of training coursework (or equivalent certification) and an examination. More information: BCM Institute

Business Continuity Certified Expert (BCCE)
Issuing Org.: BCM Institute
Description: "The Business Continuity Certified Expert (BCCE) certification is designed and developed to instill pertinent concepts and knowledge in BCM practitioners; which will enable them to drive organizational-wide BCM programs; develop business continuity and recovery strategies; develop and implement comprehensive BC plans; develop and implement BCM awareness and training programs; conduct exercises and tests; implement BCM audit and assessment programs to ensure BC plan effectiveness. This course is designed and developed to train BC managers, planners, and project managers."
Requirements:
More information: BCM Institute

Disaster Recovery Certified Specialist (DRCS)
Issuing Org.: BCM Institute
Description:
Requirements: Training course and a certification exam.
More information:

Disaster Recovery Certificate Expert (DRCE)
Issuing Org.: BCM Institute
Description: "Individuals intending to qualify for the expert level are expected to manage and drive organizational-wide BCP/DRP projects. Such individuals are expected to assist organizations to sustain BCM programs. This will involve developing and conducting integrated tests and exercises; which should also assess the coordination between inter and intra-dependent business and support units (including IT). The BCCE is targeted at individuals involved in BCM. The DRCE is targeted at individuals involved in DRP."
Requirements: Training and a certification exam, plus three years' experience in BCP and/or DRP
More information: BCM Institute