Exercising 101 (and I don’t mean how to do a push-up)

by. Andrea Tolentino

The auditor just left your building telling you your organization needs an exercise program for business continuity and without one you would be in trouble next time around. You are thinking to yourself, how in the world am I going to be able to accomplish completing a scenario-based exercise by the end of the year? Especially with all of the other tasks I have to do?! There is no way!

You are in luck because here are my top five tips to getting your organization on the right track for exercising. Follow these tips and you will be set for exercise success.

Tip 1:   Do your homework.

It is important to look at your risk assessment to determine what a good scenario may be for your area. Look up articles of natural disasters in your region. It will make it a lot more relevant for all of the participants if they can relate to the incident.

Tip 2:   The world does NOT revolve around your IT Department.

Include all main departments from your organization in the exercise. If you simply focus on IT and their recovery, you will be leaving out other critical areas of the organization. Try to incorporate issues such as lack of cross-trained staff or building relocation into the scenario.

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