Business Continuity / Disaster Planning /Disaster Preparedness Planning
Hornford Associates takes a very pragmatic approach to Business Continuity. After all Disaster Preparedness Planning is a simple process:
- Identify mission critical processes and functions
- Identify and assess risks to mission critical processes
- Decide what to do
- Accept the risk,
- Change the process,
- Insure against the risk,
- Mitigate the risk or
- Eliminate the risk
Risk Management
Risk Management is a business call - given a risk what will you do?
There are five choices:
- Accept the risk
- Change the business
- Purchase insure against the risk
- Mitigate the risk
- Eliminate the risk
Any of the choices is valid, if and only if, you have made it consciously. If your approach is to accept the risk because you have not examined anything, you do not know whether you are on a tightrope in a windstorm or having a coffee on a sunny day.
Hornford Associates Services
1. Business Continuity Assessment
We work with you to identify your key business functions and the supporting processes. For each key business function we review your risk factors and business impact. We conduct an investigation and assessment of 5 domains comprising your Information Technology that support key business functions. We outline high-level choices to deal with risk that is outside your risk appetite.
This service provides a base-line and go-forward plan to deal with technology-based business risk.
2. Business Continuity / Disaster Planning Online Service
We operate an online Business Continuity Service focused on Small Medium Enterprise/Small Medium Business (SME/SMB) with Disaster Plans Online.
This system is currently undergoing a significant revision and is not accepting new clients.
3. Business Continuity Training
Manager-level Business Continuity Course
Previously offered publicly with the British Columbia CGA Association
Free Disaster Preparation Services
Government Disaster Management Links
One recurrent challenge with public approaches to Disaster Preparedness, most evidenced by FEMA, is an attempt to centralize control and decision making and have a detailed plan. Detailed plans NEVER work.
US Government
Don't forget their stellar success rate
UK Government
Don't miss their publication 'Dealing with Disaster'
Canadian Government
Business Survival to Risk Management
Think of a continuum running from the most basic - Business Survival to the most complete Risk Management.
At a minimum your Disaster Preparedness plans has to provide for Business Survival. As your plans and capabilities expand you start looking at Risk Management.