Disaster Recovery Journal Winter 2022

include guidance on shelter locations, Red Cross resources, and a point of contact if the employee needs remote support 4. Help employees prepare for disaster recovery . Employees working remotely should be trained on how to prepare for wildfires, floods, tornadoes, and other extreme weather events. Certain critical roles may require uninterruptible power supply (UPS) backup power or redundant internet service providers. A data center services provider can help harden data center and edge facilities against such threats. 5. Back up data . Again, the process changes as employees shift offsite. Automatic backups on-site may need to be initiated manually, and the mechanics – including backing up data to the cloud – should be hardened against cyber threats. 6. Prepare for communication breakdowns . A remote workforce introduces challenges related to emergency communications. Develop lists with all available means of communication for all employees and reach out early with instructions in the event of communication interruptions. Employees should add useful apps to their phones – FEMA for emergency management and reliable weather apps and alerts – so they are informed and can act absent instructions from work. 7. Consider augmenting communication channels . As noted above, tracking and communicating with employees in an emergency can be challenging. Organizations should consider investing in platforms to enable critical communications even when traditional channels are down. 8. Address emergency staffing . As we mentioned earlier, the preference today is to shift work virtually, but that still can create staffing issues for those in the organization receiving the extra work. Emergency staffing today may be tied to workload more than location. 9. Contact vendors . As supply chains continue to lag, businesses should

consider adding vendors and suppliers to their mass notification systems to ensure critical communications are not interrupted. 10.Build redundancy across your team . It is critical to build redundancies. If one person is working remotely and can’t contribute, make sure there is a backup. 11.Work with first responders . Many insurance providers are asking for floorplans to be shared with first responders. It’s a good idea, and one any organization should insist upon even if the insurance provider is not. 12.Counter the opportunists . Chaos provides cover for cyber criminals. Training employees on cybersecurity best practices is more critical than ever with the shift to remote work. Business continuity and disaster recov ery plans are collaborative efforts which include a data center services provider. For instance, data center monitoring is a key element of incident response and disaster recovery plans. An effective monitoring program ensures data center managers are aware of critical metrics such as tempera ture, humidity, power usage, and server utilization. This level of visibility is key to disaster-proofing the data center. In today’s fast-changing world, disaster recovery plans require ongoing updates to keep pace with changes to critical equip ment and personnel. Reach out to your critical digital infrastructure partners to develop relevant and holistic crisis man agement plans to keep your company safe and ensure timely recovery from any inci dent. v experienced around the globe. Fulkert joined Vertiv in 2018, bringing with her more than 19 years of experience in business continuity, disaster recovery, and crisis man agement. She holds a master’s degree in emergency and disaster management from Georgetown University and is a MBCP, the highest level of certification offered from DRI International. Fulkert also has crisis management certifica tion from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and has completed Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) training. Kate Fulkert is global business continuity and disaster recovery manager for Vertiv. She is responsible for developing strate gies and solutions to minimize business disruptions related to crises or disasters

n Address growing cybersecurity risks as network endpoints increase to support a distributed workforce. n Ramp up employee training on IT and operational security. While these are significant challenges, supporting a distributed workforce also offers advantages from a crisis man agement perspective. With a traditional model, the central workplace often must be evacuated or shut down in the event of a crisis. This model continues to apply to manufacturers and other operations with large numbers of on-site workers. However, organizations with a major ity-remote workforce can shift work vir tually to prevent disruptions, assuming workers have been prepared and cross trained well in advance of a crisis. Work virtualization is already happening at many organizations which began building their digital infrastructure when the first lockdowns started in March 2020. In addi tion to being part of day-to-day operations, remote work can support effective crisis mitigation strategies. 12 Keys to Crisis Readiness for a Distributed Workforce With these challenges and opportuni ties in mind, here are key considerations for adapting your crisis recovery plan for the hybrid work model of today and tomorrow. 1. Assess risks, identify mitigations . Risk assessment is always a critical first step, but it is equally important to identify potential controls which would be applied in a crisis. If there is an inherent risk present, develop “move the work” plans to alleviate risk. 2. Adapt training and response . While we shift to a distributed model, employers are still responsible for employee safety. Crisis management and safety training must be tailored to the person and their location to ensure their security and the continuity of their work product. 3. Develop crisis and recovery plans which include remote workers . Organizations need to introduce training to help remote workers know how to react to a crisis independently. This could

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