Governments are kicking in to high gear, Google Maps are tracking the movement of the H1N1 Swine Flu. Airports, particularly in Asia, having learned from the SARS scare, are rolling out thermal scanners and infra-red cameras.
But is IT ready?
It has always bothered me that most business continuity plans focus on backup computing facilities – hot/cold sites. They do not focus enough on what happens if your talent is the asset which needs continuity planning. Even outsourcers who provide tons of labor primarily focus on backup data centers in their DR plans.
I have a feeling most companies would not have good answers to these questions
- Do you know where all your traveling employees are today? Or have been in last week?
- Are you set up to allow a significant portion of your employee base to work remotely from home or at an alternate office for 1-4 weeks?
- Do you have an “emergency broadcast plan” – employee texting, alternative email addresses and contact numbers etc?
- Do you have “variable delivery” arrangements with your vendors – are they set up to absorb more of your support needs if needed?
- Are your vendors set up to allow a significant portion of their employee base to work remotely or from alternative locations?
I hope this breakout is a small one and contained without too much effort, but that we use it a wake-up call to build better back up plans for our human assets.
