Communicating Before and After a Business Disruption Event

Communicating During and
After a Business Disruption Event
Executive SummaryIf your company suffers a business disruption event (BDE), having a backup data center with all the company's applicationsand data is a must, but how will people interact with the data and with each other? Most companies have some plans inplace for ensuring that employee-to-employee communications can be maintained following a business disruption event(BDE), but issues such as scalability and security are often not given enough attention. And many companies have notadequately addressed their extended business - partners (suppliers, vendors, channel partners, etc.) and customers - andhow communications will be maintained with these vital resources. Some important questions to consider are:. How will you make sure your customers know about your BDE strategy and the communications options available to them?. How will you let your customers know that you are still in business following a BDE?. How will your company stay in touch with customers to assure their continued satisfaction, and their ability to purchaseadditional products and services from your firm?. How will you stay in touch with your business partners, especially if they are in the same region affected by the BDE? . Have your business partners implemented the same level of emergency communication channels and business continuityplanning as your firm? If not, how will they communicate with your firm if they are also affected by the businessdisruption event?One important way to assure business continuity and communications with your extended business is to utilize variousmobile connectivity options. Today, over 50 million workers in the United States use a variety of mobile devices to conductimportant business. But if a BDE happens, either a natural or man-made disaster, will your company's mobile infrastructurebe able to handle the increased demands while also maintaining security? Will your mobile infrastructure help minimizedisruptions, or will it become part of the problem?
Communicating During and After a Business Disruption Event During and after a BDE, your workforce needs access to otherMany firms fail to consider how lines of communication will stay open employees and to the applications they need to do their jobs, yourin the event of a BDE. During many BDEs, traditional landline vendors need to check inventory and order status, your executivescommunications may be disrupted for long periods of time. Cell need to communicate with the investor community, and yourphones and various handheld devices may also lose connectivity, as in customers need to be informed and serviced. Communications hasthe case of the major Northeast Blackout of 2003. In the event of a become an essential component of every company's strategic andBDE, a robust enterprise mobility infrastructure can help keep your business continuity planning.company's vital lines of communication intact.Communicating During and After a Business Disruption Event ________________________________________________________________________________ 2
The following table lists various types of communications that should Mobile collaboration will become increasingly important if the effectsbe available during and following a BDE and the types of mobile of the BDE continue beyond a few days.connectivity options that are needed to support those communications. It is also extremely important to get the companies you do businesswith on the same level of preparedness as your firm. MobileType of Remote Mobile Mobile Mobile communications following a BDE are only effective if all parties areCommunication Network Voice Internet Collaboration able to communicate - it's a two-way street. So, as part of yourFollowing a BDE Access planning, make sure you involve these companies - includingWithin the company suppliers, vendors, channel partners, etc. - and get them to buy in.- Employee to X X X Some of them may be SMBs (small to mid-sized businesses) with moreemployee limited resources and they may not see integrating mobility as a- Employee to X priority. For some of these companies, your firm may have to take thesystems/data lead and assist them in their enterprise mobility preparedness.With business partners- Suppliers X X X X Communications With CustomersThe importance of various methods of communications with- Sales Channel X X X X customers during and after a BDE may vary dependin... [download for more]