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Business disasters can take many forms, caused by everything from fire and tornadoes to cyber-attacks and, yes, even a pandemic.

What they all have in common is that they’re unexpected and can destroy a company if no plan is in place for disaster recovery and business continuity.

Experts in this area view the COVID-19 disaster as a wake-up call for organizations that only focus on daily operational needs at the expense of investing in digital business and long-term resilience. What the coronavirus should have taught companies is that it’s more important than ever for IT leaders to ensure employees have the tools they require to work remotely and securely.

For a disaster such as a pandemic, recovery and continuity hinges on company’s having the right apps and data since employees have been largely removed from office environments and quarantined in their homes. This means that CIOs must ensure that the right IT systems are fully operational. Without top-tier software such as email and communication apps like Slack, business can come to a screeching halt.

Hardware and bandwidth also need to be assessed in a pandemic. Many employees have personal computers at home, so CIOs should consider whether to let those staff use their home devices in lieu of their work PCs. And they should ensure they have enough bandwidth to handle the external traffic.

For most corporations, 70% of the bandwidth requirement is outbound. But with the rush to remote work flipping that model, CIOs should assess whether they have the network capacity to handle increased inbound traffic.

Communication is always a key in business as usual, but in a pandemic this element becomes even more center stage for business continuity and subsequent recovery.

It’s imperative that executives close the loop and keep all employees up-to-date regularly each business day. Remember that employees are likely even more worried than executives since they probably don’t have access to planning information and feel like they’re in the dark on what to do or expect. This could cause serious production or morale issues, which might delay recovery.

Organizations should also consider setting up a website, app or hotline featuring curated content to provide guidance to employees. Included as sources might be information from local governments, healthcare authorities and international organizations, such as updates from the World Health Organization (WHO).

Want to learn more? Tonex offers Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity Training, a 2-day course that helps participants understand a variety of topics in disaster recovery and business continuity such as: introduction to disaster recovery, concept of disasters, introduction to business continuity, disaster recovery processing plans, risk management techniques, facility protection during disaster recovery period, data/system recovery, incident response and public service effect in disaster recovery plan.

Additionally, Tonex offers nearly three dozen more courses in Cybersecurity Foundation. This includes cutting edge courses like:

Automotive Cybersecurity Training (3 days)

Electric Grid Cybersecurity Master Certification (4 weeks)

Network Security Training (2 days)

Software Security Training (2 days)

ICS Cybersecurity Training (4 days)

For more information, questions, comments, contact us.

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