Security & Business Continuity

Security, business continuity and disaster recovery planning are yet other balls to be juggled by today’s facilities manager.  Each discipline is a drain on limited resources that are becoming difficult to justify.  It is only when we are confronted by the horrific events in America on September 11th 2001 that these subjects become topic of the month.  The problem then is that senior management requires a quick fix with as little disruption to the business as possible.

 

The facilities manager then sets about producing plans and procuring security measures, learning by (often difficult) experience what is required.  The Security and Business Continuity SIG was established to provide assistance and basic guidance for best practice in the procurement of these services.  It will also highlight the need to stop and consider the risks to business, personnel and assets and how best to develop a strategy to protect them.

 

For security, this process will inevitably take longer than just buying some cameras and alarms, but it will ensure that your expenditure is focused in the right areas and the equipment is utilised to its full potential. The saying ‘Buy it wrong; Use it wrong; Maintain it wrong and you will get a BUM system’ is never more true than in this case. Once you have procured your system/s it is crucial that you develop policies and procedures that will glue the components together to form a complete system.

 

With business continuity and disaster recovery, the scope of requirement will differ drastically with each industry sector.  Some FMs will be handed a detailed business continuity plan (BCP) and be asked to produce a disaster recovery (DR) plan to re-establish their own department.  Others will be given the whole task with little or no support.  The SIG will assist with setting out guidance and co-ordinating educational events and presentations.

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