CRM History - The Evolution of Better Customer Service

There was a time when frequent flyer miles, loyalty award systems and credit card points were virtually unknown to businesses and consumers alike. CRM history shows that customer relationship management is the system that popularized consumer benefits such as this.

CRM history is indeed a brief one when it comes to the technological aspect of customer service. Although marketing campaigns and strategies go back a long way, most entrepreneurs used to rely on generic means to attract potential customers and gain loyal ones. Before the dawn of CRM, most companies were not ingenious when it came to having personalized customer relationships.

The Dawn of CRM

CRM emerged in the 1980's and this early version was called database marketing. Database marketing wasn't as intricate as the well-developed CRM of today. It mainly comprises of an organizations' customer service staff interacting with a company's clients. Although helpful, it wasn't exactly a seamless process and information on the existing database tended to be unorganized, hard to track, update and retrieve.

The Rise of CRM

CRM history shows that the 90's saw great improvement in terms of Customer Relationship Management. Companies began to see the benefits of offering perks to customers and potential ones in exchange for relevant customer information or for repeat purchases. Companies also began to regard customer service as a continuously evolving skill rather than a stagnant service to be picked up and used whenever necessary.

A Fully-developed CRM

Today, CRM has reached its full potential, allowing businesses to maximize their own potentials as well, to achieve superior customer service. More advanced tools are made available and innovation allows customization of software to fit a particular business or industry. Benefits enjoyed by customers such as bonus points and loyalty rewards are also advantageous to the companies that award these benefits: now they can easily track the behavior, spending history and patterns of their customers.

With CRM's online capabilities, storage issues for huge databases can now be resolved, especially for big corporations. CRM software developers are now offering offsite storage of data and opening secure Internet mediums for staging CRM.

CRM is most useful for organizations whose success depend vastly on technology or customer service. That's why a lot of CRM-based tools and software are utilized by credit card companies, the telecommunications industry and even the computer hardware and software sectors. From customer acquisition, to trouble shooting and encouraging customer loyalty, CRM will be a useful system to achieve these goals.

CRM history has indeed shown that something truly useful and effective can come a long way in such a short time. As long as businesses continue to thrive on effective management of customer relationships and as long as there are customers to satisfy, then CRM will also continue to develop and evolve to greater heights.

As shown by CRM history, customer relation management has indeed empowered consumers to choose the companies worth patronizing. CRM has made customer service a global interaction so consumers can now easily switch to better services if unsatisfied with current one.

Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?CRM-History-The-Evolution-of-Better-Customer-Service&id=948303
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Does Your Web Hosting Service Have a Business Continuation Plan?

One of our customers was located in the World Trade Center. Fortunately, they had a Business Continuation plan, and were able to resume operations almost immediately from another location after 9/11. There are blackouts, there are natural disasters, there are catastrophes - do you want your website to still be available?

Ask your potential provider what their business continuation plan is. Having UPS (Uninterrupted Power Source) is great - but if a disaster hits the building, the UPS may not be helpful enough. A real Business Continuation plan must include off-site servers that will kick in when the main servers are down. The service should have regular exercises where they simulate a disruption of service at the main location and pick up from the remote location.

Have you read stories of New Orleans companies that managed well after the hurricane in 2005? The ones that managed well had a Business Continuation plan in place.

There may be stages involved in Business Continuation. There may be a minimum level of service that will kick in immediately, and full service only after a certain amount of time has passed and resources have been redeployed. The purpose of the exercises is to make sure the personnel responsible for keeping the remote site running are trained in their duties and confident in their ability to carry out their duties.

The phrase "Business Continuation" implies a more proactive approach than the term "Disaster Recovery". It implies making a plan, having resources in place, having personnel trained, running mock disasters to see how it works, and updating the plan as necessary.

If your service does not have an effective Business Continuation plan, you may suffer much down-time and loss of business as a result.

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Business Continuity Planning - Reactive and Proactive

What is business continuity? It is about making plans to help your business return to normal following an interruption, crisis or even disaster. It is not just about dealing with disasters when they occur but also about planning procedures and systems to avoid any foreseeable crisis.

If you watch the news you will notice that disasters are happening on a daily basis around the globe. The biggest harbinger of trouble is Mother Nature with her volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, tsunami, floods and droughts. Have I missed anything?

Mother Nature is closely followed by man made disasters. Wherever man is around you can be sure that some sort of crisis is getting ready to erupt. Man specialises in eroding the environment, starting a war, oppressing the weak, bombing innocent civilians and creating environments where fire spreads quickly!

In both man made and natural disasters the first thing to often get affected is the internet and our ability to communicate effectively. So therefore this is the first item on the agenda in a decent business continuity plan. What proactive measures can the business can to have as many channels of communication open and how can it establish communication as soon as possible once it has gone down?

Data is another important factor to consider. What proactive plans does the business have to ensure that a backup of data is kept at a separate location? How can this data be used effectively if the infrastructure is damaged or in a worst case scenario - destroyed?

Having clear plans in place to cope with injury and in worst cases a loss of life can often help to reduce any potential losses. Bear in mind that it is not only business that you have to think about but also the family members of the victims of the disaster.

How will your customers cope if you can not meet their requirements in time? Do you have alternative suppliers available to keep your customers ticking over until your business is ready to supply them again?

Finally do not forget to consider your suppliers. They will also suffer and some could even close down if you are their largest customer.

By creating a business continuity plan the manager of a business can get a deeper understanding of the critical parts of the business. By having both proactive and reactive plans and procedures in place, it makes it far easier to avoid some foreseeable crisis and being able to deal quickly with a disaster when it does occur.

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Data Management and Disaster Recovery - Necessary for Today's Businesses

London Sightseeing: See the best sights of London with a London Pass!

From the Shakespeare to the shopping, the royalty to the restaurants, London blends old world magic with cutting edge modernism like no other city in the world.

Steeped in history and boasting a melting pot of cultures, you can visit the scene of a beheading, indulge in a curry to die for and shop your way through a world renowned fashion scene, all on one quiet London back street! With so much to see and do.

Introduction

Data management and disaster recovery are two very important issues in the field of Information Technology. Without either of these, a company will not make it very far in an age when large organizations store data on every transaction and have redundant facilities built in case of natural or man-made disaster. Indeed, such recovery of data would be nearly useless if there was no data management scheme in place.

Data Management

Mearin, in his Computer World article entitled, "ILM: Putting the Pieces Together", talks about Information Life-cycle Management. Information has different uses, and those uses can change over time. At the beginning of their life-cycle, there may be the need for immediate retrieval of data. As time goes by, the use of that data may be minute, and it is moved to long-term storage where access times are not important (2004).

Mearin gives the example of Visa, who needed to keep track of 300 million transactions a day (2004). There is the need, in this situation, to have very rapid response times when querying data. With this many transactions, and the need for reliable and speedy hardware, custom-built, top of the line systems are necessary. An array of tape backup drives would not be sufficient here, at the beginning of the data's life-cycle. However, through the years, the need to look at a group of data will dwindle, and it can be moved to long-term storage, where slower tape drives may be the most economical solution.

What I learned from this article is that the tool must not only fit the immediate job, but also fit in the future. This may involve the use of multiple systems, each with its own purpose. The costs of purchasing these systems may be a great sum of money now, but having the right tools for the job throughout the lifetime of data is very important.

Disaster Recovery

Disasters can happen at any time, in any place, with or without warning. The recent Tsunami that struck Asia is a recent example of nature's fury. It came without warning and many, many people died. Another example is the 2004 hurricane season that rocked Florida and the Gulf states.

Is there a difference in these two situations when thinking in terms of preserving data? I think not, as long as adequate precautions are made. In the article, "Beating Back 'Ivan the Terrible'", Michael Sisk talks about the 2004 hurricanes and what an area bank did to protect its data (2005). United Bank, based in Atmore, Alabama, had a plan for disaster and, despite damage to some of its operations, their data was safe.

This bank had contracted with a consulting company to manage a disaster contingency plan and allocate resources for operations. Offsite technology resources were arranged for and, as hurricane Ivan approached, preparations were made to use the temporary facilities for data operations (Sisk, 2005). By chance, the data operations center was not hit by the hurricane, and it was not necessary to use the rented backup site. Even though the backup location was not used, think of what would have happened to this bank's data if there was no contingency plan for disaster and disaster struck.

One must always plan for disaster. It is not so hard to look into very recent history and see instances of extraordinary loss of life and property. Whether this loss is caused by war, nature, or a criminal attack, disaster is real. The loss to a business can be so drastic that it can no longer operate. IT managers must take disaster into account and plan accordingly.

Conclusion

Data is the lifeblood of today's business. Without it, there will be no sales projections, no statistical marketing analysis, and no accounting books. Data must be managed both matching the scope of the business and the life-cycle of the data itself. Likewise, disaster must be accepted as a fact of life on this planet, and precautions must be taken. It is not the question of "if" that matters, but the question of "when". That is the time that data management and disaster contingency plans will matter most.

The best way to get the most from London is with the London Sightseeing Pass. A veritable passport for London, the London Pass is a ticket which gets you into not one, not two but more than 55 of London's top sights and tourist attractions. It saves you loads of money, plus at many attractions it allows you to skip long and frustrating queues - so it saves you time as well.

You can buy the pass on its own or, if you plan to cover a lot of ground, you can opt for public transport to be included. The London Pass comes with its own guidebook which details all the attractions you can visit, plus gives you loads of extra discounts and freebies at restaurants, shops and entertainment centres all around London.

Depending on how much time you have in London, you can choose a 1, 2, 3 or 6 day London Pass, and then make your way at your leisure around the cities best sights. Some of the most popular tourist attractions covered by the London Pass include the Tower of London, St Paul's Cathedral, Kensington Palace, Windsor Castle and London Zoo, to name but a few.

Reference:

Mearin, L. (Dec. 2004). "ILM: Putting the Pieces Together". Computer World. Vol. 38, Issue 50, p. 21, 2 pgs.

Sisk, M. (Jan. 2005). "Beating Back 'Ivan the Terrible'". US Banker. Vol. 115, Issue 1, p. 26, 2 pgs. it's no wonder that London continues to be one of the most visited cities in the world. But with so much to see and do, how do visitors to this buzzing metropolis ensure they see the best that London has to offer?

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Business Lies for Survival

Today everybody knows me as a biggest lier in town, not only in town but accross the world. I have lost a lot in business, more than many people could have thought, a man who was blessed with money from his father's and mother's hard work, but lost all of them in few years, all because of miss management, experience, and over confidence. When lots of money are roaming in front of your eyes your mouth speaks loud, that always happens.

When all was finished I had to lie a lot to keep my business running, its completely wrong on what I am doing but no other choice. When I woke up, its already late. It took a lots of guts and heart to stand up again and say to my self, "ONE MORE ROUND. AS A BOXER ALWAYS WANTS IN THE RING, I HEAR NO BELL GIVE ME ONE MORE ROUND" and that is how I stood up again, and would like to share this experience with all of you.

Today with nearly 2.8 million usd in debt I am still running my business with the hope that one day I could over come all these debt. I nearly decided to jump from building where I lived, but then on the other hand I thought, it was me who made all these mess, and if I give up my life what about the others left behind , how will they go on, I will never be able to die in peace and they would go through hell. So I got up again, put myself together, sat down looked in every details and made up my mind that I will fight this battle myself, and if my heart is clean I will win this battle.

I was so scared, going to police stations, court, going through threatening phone calls, I nearly collapsed, could not eat, could not sleep, I thought about God, I never thought about him during my good days, as they always say better late than never.

Today whatever I am doing I think it is like an open university of life, where I am doing my PHD. I hate accounting, I hate maths, I never took interest in studies, and I was always dreaming of becoming big. I always say to myself that one day I would be on the cover page of Times Magaznie. That dream is far aways from being true, what I have in front of me is a challenge for me. But in one conner I know that I will be able to do it.

I am writing a book on this "BUSINESS LIES FOR SURVIVAL"

There are lots of things that I would love to share with people that are going through all these problems like me.

My motto of life

NEVER GIVE UP, AS WE ALL ARE BORN ONLY ONCE.

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What if You Didn't Have a Data Center Disaster Recovery Plan?

How many times have you asked yourself the question, "What if?" If you do not already have plans in the works for your data center disaster recovery plan, then is it time you start asking this question about a disaster hitting your data center.

If you are stuck and unsure about how to get started, allow me a few moments to explain it to you.

Imagine for a moment you are running your own business, not a huge multinational corporation, but a young a company, one that is doing surprisingly well. A few months back your company secured a deal with a major client, and your employees have been steadily working on it ever since and are only two weeks away from the deadline. Everything is going according to schedule right now, but you know even the smallest delay could set you off path to miss your deadline. This is not something you want; as your client expressed their need for you to meet the deadlines outlined otherwise he would have to find another company that could.

You suddenly hear a scream coming from the office floor, you rush over to find one of your employees starring teary eyed at a blank computer screen. She turns to tell you she accidentally deleted a months worth of work that was stored in the companies database. You can hear the voices in the back of your mind reminding you of the plan and the computer backup system you always meant to, but never got started on. You realize there is now no possible way to meet your client's deadline.

In a similar scenario, envision a virus finding its way into your data base and corrupting every last file. The virus has managed to spread to every single computer in the office; every important file keeping your business running is suddenly deleted. Your head is starting to get sore from the vivid image of you banging it off a wall asking yourself why you never took the time to protect your business by making online computer backups.

Even worse, what if your office were hit by a natural disaster, say a fire, earthquake, tornado or any other unpredictable and unstoppable force and it completely destroyed the building. Your office has been stripped of all its computers, in fact, if you didn't know any better, you would never suspect that there had even been a flourishing office once standing here.

You break down and burst into tears knowing that the destruction of your entire business could have been prevented if only you had taken the time to draft a plan. A simple computer backup system and a few online computer backups and you could have been back to business in only a few short days. But, now it is too late.

I am sure by now you have gotten the point, so I will end of here with the nightmare scenarios. Just remember there is no need to think twice when it comes to getting started on your company's data center disaster recovery plan. It is an essential part to the safety of all companies, and if you do not start as soon as possible you may end up being the poor chap asking, "What if?"

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When Do I Need A Disaster Recovery Plan For My Company?

There are many questions that may arise when an individual embarks on a new business venture. Whether the individual is starting a new business or revamping an old business, there are certain steps that should be taken to protect the individual's investment in their company and ensure that business can continue as usual in the event that something adverse happens to affect the business. Many individuals have turned to using a disaster recovery plan to ensure the fast implementation of procedures that will help a business recover and continue to satisfy clients if anything happens to affect the business. So when is a disaster recovery plan needed for a company? Preferably, the company should have a disaster recovery plan in place before a disaster strikes.

A disaster recovery plan is an outline created by the principals of a company, or those they choose to hire, to detail how a business will deal with any potential disaster that may occur. This may include any adverse events from server failure to an earthquake leveling the building. Because a true disaster is typically unforeseen, it is best for the company to have a disaster recovery plan in place prior to a disaster occurring within the company. The disaster recovery plan will outline the steps that need to be taken to ensure that the customers will be taken care of in a timely manner and return the business to operation as quickly as possible.

A proper disaster recovery plan will need to be formed only after an intense review of business practices has been conducted. Any business procedures that are found to be ineffective or unneeded can be corrected at this time. By focusing on the business methods that bring results and including them in the disaster recovery plan, the business will be focused on completing the steps that will bring the best results if any type of adverse event affects the course of business. The disaster recovery plan may cover several different types of disasters and the steps that may be needed to recover from each.

There are many types of businesses that could benefit from having a disaster recovery plan, but many business owners either believe that a disaster recovery plan is not necessary or they put off creating, implementing, and testing a plan for so long that a disaster strikes and disrupts their business before they have a plan put into place. This is the catalyst that many business owners need before they decide to create a disaster recovery plan, but unfortunately much damage could be done and much revenue lost because a disaster recovery plan was not in place before the disaster occurred.

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Data Recovery After a Disaster

It is easy to see that data is the foundation of a successful business. While most businesses back up their data to removable media, tapes or USB drives being the most common, many businesses leave the backup tapes right next to the server. The risk they fail to foresee is destruction of the office by fire or flood.

Both the server and the backup will be useless if the room no longer exists. Unfortunately, some owners discover that getting back up and running is beyond their cash reserves.

A data recovery plan should include creating backup tapes and then storing them in an offsite storage location. The tapes should be rotated regularly, handled properly, and stored in a secure, climate controlled facility. This provides insurance and gives the business continuity after a disaster.

While this may seem like an easy process, the pitfalls for not doing it properly are deep. Tapes not securely transported and inventoried may come up missing or be stolen. Unaccounted for backup tapes is a data breach. This breach must be disclosed to those affected by laws in thirty-six states. This bad press can be as damaging as losing the data.

A second pitfall is how the tapes are stored. Without the proper environmental controls of a media vault, moisture and temperature fluctuations will degrade tapes and leave them un-readable. A worst case scenario is counting on a tape that can't be read after a server fails. Tapes must be stored properly and changed out occasionally.

A third pitfall that may seem trivial but is also crucial is the ability to physically access the tapes. Backup tapes are useless if they can't be found or returned. A vacation or the inability to reach the employee who stores the tapes can leave the company in a lurch until they are located.

With attention to detail and good communication two of these pitfalls can be eliminated. It is setting up a climate controlled media vault that poses the biggest expense for a small business. They are expensive to build because they are not designed for the limited space that a small business would require.

To avoid these problems, many businesses outsource their tape rotation to an offsite tape storage provider. On a regular schedule a uniformed employee rotates the backup tapes from the business location. Once the tape is picked up it is scanned into a tracking system just like an overnight delivery service uses. The tapes are transported in un-marked vans and stored in secured, climate controlled vaults. A tape rotation service also offers twenty four hour access to the tapes and delivery to a recovery location of the business' choosing.

A second solution is to use an online storage service. The data is backed up, encrypted, and then sent via the internet to a secure location. The issues with transportation are eliminated as long as the data is properly encrypted. With small amounts of data this is a good solution but loses it economic benefits as the volume of information grows. The business just needs to make sure there is large bandwidth at the recovery location.

Even more important for the small business owner can be the consulting a service will offer. How to set up backup software and hardware can be a mystery to the uninitiated. This disaster recovery expertise helps assure that the data is saved correctly and when needed will be easily loaded onto a replacement server.

No matter what solution you choose, make sure your business data is backed up periodically and stored in a secure offsite location.

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Versatility Is Crucial In Every Data Center Disaster Recovery Plan

Having the ability to determine a quality computer backup system is the key difference between drafting a prize or a terrible data center disaster recovery plan. Though several aspects come into play, one of the most important pieces of the puzzle is the system's versatility. In simpler terms, you must understand the system's effectiveness in an assortment of different areas. Especially in your data center disaster recovery plan's ability to recover from a wide range of disasters.

And not all disasters are what you think. They could be as simple as an employee tripping over, and pulling out the plug of a PC, crashing the CPU and effectively destroying a year's worth of important files and data. It could also present itself as a virus that infiltrates and corrupts your data center just as your company is about to secure a major project. Or, even as a natural disaster, or your office catching fire and destroying all of your companies in office hardware. What I am trying to say, is that disasters, just like computer backup systems, come in all shapes and sizes themselves. Some are just minor glitches; some can deliver a devastating blow that if unprepared, your company may not be able to recover from.

So how does one determine a computer's backup systems versatility? It's actually quite simple. You should start with checking the systems data storage capabilities. Does the system relying on just a single form of medium to store data, or does it accommodate pretty much every medium going? Does the computer backup system include online backups as part of the package? Are there feature in the system that will allow you to easily keep track of all your files, or will it be a difficult task in locating them every time?

Since there is no way to tell what, if any disasters your company may encounter, nor when they will come, you and your system must be prepared at all times. The best way to do this is to have as much backup media as possible. This will ensure that even if one form of media fails, there will be others in which your company can recover from and move on with.

In the end, by having a computer backup system that can stand up to variety of disaster, you can rest assured that your data center disaster recovery plan will not end turning into a disaster of its self.

Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?Versatility-Is-Crucial-In-Every-Data-Center-Disaster-Recovery-Plan&id=780203
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Why a Data Center Disaster Recovery Plan Is Essential To Every Business

Let me start this with a simple piece of advice; never think that a data center disaster recovery plan is something that can be readily dismissed. A data recovery plan is not something that should be pushed aside until you have the time, when you earn a certain amount of money, or for when it is convenient for you. Your company's data disaster recovery plan is something that should be atop your company's priority list.

The sad fact is that way too many companies are making this mistake, and even sadder, quite of few have already dearly paid for this mistake. These companies choose to busy themselves with the now and here and focus on meetings, proposals, and deadlines instead of worrying about "what if" scenarios.

Though thought of as a "what if" scenario, the deadline for having your plan completed could come at absolutely anytime. Of course, with the odds being in your favour it remains a small possibility, but what will you do if you happen to the "unlucky one" in one of these "what if" scenarios?

By not having a data center disaster recovery plan, you are quite simply, leaving the success of your business up to chance; the chance that you won't be the unlucky one. Would you leave any other aspect of your business to chance? I think not. The reality is that there is a real need to be prepared for a disaster, even if it encompasses looking at those nasty "what if" scenarios.

Besides being protected from the "what if"'s, there are also other perks to having a data backup plan. Your company will benefit from data security, organized documents, as well as file restoration in case of any unforeseen accidents. When it all boils down, a plan ensures your companies quality and efficiency will not suffer from the loss of or damage to any of your important files and programs.

A lot of companies claim they are put out by the time and money needed to set up a plan. Little do they know that choosing the right computer backup system will pay for itself time and time again. Not only will your company benefit from the security of being protected from a catastrophe, the right computer backup system will also save your company money by quickly addressing minor data management issues, allowing your business to continue running smoothly.

In then end, putting off your company's If your business relies on data, you need a data disaster recovery plan. Find Out More About data center disaster recovery plan may very well eliminate your companies last life line; putting it as your top priority may very well invigorate some much needed new life into the mix.

Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?Why-a-Data-Center-Disaster-Recovery-Plan-Is-Essential-To-Every-Business&id=779863
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An Essential Component To Every Business Is A Data Center Disaster Recovery Plan

Even though it may seem like a time intensive operation, implementing a data center disaster recovery plan is something you absolutely must consider right now. Don't wait for the next big order; don't wait for the next slow period. Get one now.

The phrase, "it cost them dearly" doesn't have enough weight when you read about someone else's mistake. But, how much will it cost you to not have data center disaster recovery plans in effect when the unexpected occurs? Put everything else down. All of your deadlines, your meetings, and your RFPs won't mean anything if you lose the guts of your company, your data.

In fact, you should consider that the deadline for your data center disaster recovery plan is coming up this week. Why? Because you don't know when the unexpected SNAFU will occur. That's when it can become a disaster. We're talking about an ounce of prevention here. Odds may be in your favor, but are you really willing to bet your entire business on the odds? I'm just asking...

I'll say it nicer. Do you want to leave the success of your business up to chance? By remaining unprepared; without a data center disaster recovery plan; you might be thinking, "what if's are for sissies," but at the risk of repetition, I say, are you ok with losing all of your invaluable data?

Ultimately, any decent data recovery plan will offer you more than just disaster insurance. A computer backup system offers much more than that. Order amongst the potential chaos of your documentation, data security, and file restoration are also benefits of a good computer backup system. Ensuring the quality and efficiency of your business are, simply put, intelligent design elements for ongoing success.

The right data center disaster recovery plan will cost you less over time than the time and money spent. In fact, when you choose the right computer backup system, your ROI will far outweigh your initial investment. Your business will run smoothly as you have all your minor data management issues handled and you'll be assured that any major catastrophes can be averted.

Be smart. Implement a data center disaster recovery plan without delay and give your business extra life... or ignore this message and risk the potential of a complete melt down. The choice is yours.

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Disaster Recovery From Computer Support of San Diego

In the current business operations landscape, most companies are spending too much budget in making sure their information technology requirements are met and are maintained. Moreover, a significant number of those firms are making sure their computer systems have backups that would be able to help operations resolve data loss problems.

A latest analysis and study of global businesses indicate that disaster recovery in firms' information technology divisions are taking is much of the companies' budgets. That is because such data are important and are considered pertinent to operations. Thus, losing company important information is costing much more. And businesses want to prevent that from happening. As the proverb says, an ounce of prevention is way more effective than pounds of cure.

As of latest projections, most companies that encounter major setbacks and problems over data losses end up in peril. About 43% of the companies that experiences such problems shut down and are not able to resume business. About 51% of those same companies are shutting down within two years after the data loss incident, while a very minimal 6% are able to survive and flourish on the long term.

From Computer Support of San Diego comes disaster recovery solutions that are aimed at helping clients manage data recovery in their computer systems. With the increasing popularity of information technology, companies are starting to rely more on effective and necessary business-critical data. However, as part of the virtual transactions, such business sensitive information are always subjected to risks of becoming lost.

Protecting irreplaceable data has become an important task and goal in almost all modern companies. This trend is highly evident in the rise and boom of the information technology sector. Nowadays, huge computer systems are bragging about backup systems to regulate digital information and reduce the occurrence and possibility of data loss. Data recovery is also made as important.

Computer Support of San Diego makes sure clients will be covered of such services. The company offers the most reliable and accurate disaster recovery solutions. The services are aimed at all companies. However, many startups and small enterprises are more welcome because of the very reasonable costs. It is our commitment to provide San Diego disaster recovery solutions that can be easily and comfortably afforded by just every business.

While it is true that in the current scenario, major and small companies are forced to allocate about 25% of their total operations costs into disaster recovery efforts and planning, Computer Support of San Diego wants to make sure that allocation of resources could be minimized. The company recognizes the fact that there are still many other factors and business areas that need resources allocation. We would help firms do that.

By subscribing and getting our data recovery solutions, we at Computer Support pledges and assures that disaster recovery would be made easier and more accurate. That is on top of minimized and trimmed costs. We value business relationships with clients. That is why we guarantee to provide the most reliable and most effective data recovery services.

Computer Support of San Diego has a pool of qualified experts and several San Diego outsourced IT personnel to help make sure the disaster recovery products and services are well taken care of. Our company is focused at this area of service, aside from providing greater focus at San Diego network support and other IT requirements by clients.

Our existing clients could attest to the efficiency and effectiveness of our business solutions. Most of them are very satisfied with the way we handle and manage their data loss and recovery problems. We at Computer Support are proud to claim that our IT solutions are indeed very helpful in all means.

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Data Recovery - Why Should You Have a Data Center Disaster Recovery Plan?

The changing paradigms of business have left many established businesses at a loss. Often businesses do not even consider establishing a data center disaster recovery plan. For both new and old businesses, it is not just an optional convenience, a computer backup system is a necessity. To demonstrate both the convenience and the need for a data recovery plan, let us discuss several of 'today's' business perspectives: Security, Confidence, Efficiency and Profitability.

1) Security:

The computer age is not only upon us, it is dominating every business. All businesses store data. It could be something as simple as the accounting records. It could be complex sub-routines which control robotic manufacturing. From a security viewpoint there are three main concerns: loss from a system crash, virus corruption, and theft. Theft is outside the scope of this topic. However, an online computer backup system certainly addresses the first two concerns. The ability to replace data and programming after either a crash or virus attack is very important. But the ability to replace it simply from your own computer backup system, that is priceless.

2) Confidence:

A business strives to instill confidence in two groups: customers and employees. When the threat of data and programming loss is eliminating because a company has a data center disaster recovery plan in place, then employees can operate in a much less stressful environment. The knowledge that human error is now a minor inconvenience instead of a potential disaster makes for a more productive workplace. Furthermore, customer confidence will soar when the additional benefit to them is revealed: their customer records and data will be stored in a secure computer backup system. This allows for uninterrupted customer service in spite of main system disruption from a disaster, viruses or human error. Another aspect of a disaster recovery plan is the confidence it instills in both clients and employees as it demonstrates the desire of the corporation to plan ahead putting priorities on security and efficiency.

3) Efficiency:

Disruption of the normal business activities results in significant losses in efficiency. When data and programming can be restored quickly and fully, this potential loss is minimized. Attacks by viruses are common in today's marketplace either through purposeful attacks or pranks. Human error can crash systems. To avoid the major time delays required to clean and/or restore a system (if possible), computer backup not only is necessary but also becomes a major factor in an efficient business operation. Something as simple as a misplaced file can cause major production delays, now it can be retrieved simply and quickly.

4. Profitability:

There are many ways that computer issues can effect the profitability of a business. Most of these issues can be resolved by using a computer backup system.

-file corruption - efficient replacement from backup, eliminating slow operation due to corruption

-loss files due to misnaming or misfiling - efficient replacement from backup

-minor problems no longer cause significant delays as file restoration is simple and efficient

-employee productivity - working in a less stressful environment

-client confidence - 100% continuity without significant delay or disruption

-total loss due to disaster - restore all files from backup

When considering virus corruption and slow downs due to human error and file corruption, what is the balance between losses and the expense of data centre disaster recovery plan? When considering the likelihood of a complete computer disaster, how much would a company pay for complete system restoration? What is the cost of rebuilding the computer system from zero?

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A Data Disaster Can Occur Anywhere, Anytime

When the subject of natural or man-made disasters comes up, a common and very human reaction is to assume, "It won't happen to me."

Unfortunately for many small business owners and IT managers, this is an assumption they've lived to regret. Each year, according to the Business Continuity Institute, about one in five businesses faces a major disruption such as data loss due to power outage or a natural disaster that destroys an office.

Yes, the consequences can be devastating. And, at a time when IT systems and networks have become indispensable to nearly every small business, a major IT disruption can result in a crippling revenue loss, an array of additional expenses, a major productivity drop, delayed collections, and even a damaged reputation that weakens vital relationships with customers, suppliers, partners, creditors, and others.

The solution is proper planning: a disaster preparedness and data recovery strategy with an implementation plan that ensures that the business survives and recovers from even the most severe occurrence. Four key issues deserve special attention.

Performing a Business Impact Analysis

A business impact analysis allows you to identify both tangible and intangible effects on business processes, functions, or departments over time. The analysis allows management to identify recovery priorities and develop an effective recovery strategy. The result of the process also supplies the data to help define an appropriate disaster recovery program budget.

For IT systems and networks, a business impact analysis is invaluable in two ways.

1. It identifies business-critical applications and the systems they run on.

2. It finds areas of vulnerability within the environment to address.

Never Underestimate the Importance of Backup

It doesn't take an earthquake, hurricane, or fire to destroy data critical to your business' success: a new virus, a leaky roof, or employee mistake can do the job. A comprehensive strategy for backing up critical data is a must for today's small businesses.

The most effective strategies address:

1. Data Prioritization: identifying and deciding which data cannot be lost under any circumstances

2. Testing: Regular checks to make sure backup and restoration will work properly

3. Off-site Storage: storing tapes off-site and taking other steps to quarantine disaster before it happens

Work on the Plan as a "Living Document"

Once a disaster preparedness and recovery plan has been researched, designed, developed, implemented, and tested there is a common desire to declare the job done. However, as your business evolves, your IT environment must also evolve. Your IT team should continually develop new strategies to grow your disaster recovery plan.

Seeking Outside Help

It makes sense for small businesses to turn to outside IT service providers to help address disaster recovery requirements.

1. Most small businesses don't have the in-house staff to conduct a thorough assessment, select the right solutions or continuously upgrade them to keep pace with their business requirements.

2. An outside firm can evaluate business practices without bias.

3. As specialists, they have experience with a variety of approaches and effective solutions.

Look for an organization with:

- A strategic perspective that considers your company's key business goals
- A comprehensive assessment and solution development methodology
- Sufficient experience working with your industry
- The ability to provide remote managed services
- Proven expertise both in disaster preparedness and disaster recovery

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Backup Your Data! It Could Mean The Difference Between Business Success And Business Failure

Here at Prime PC & Networking Services, we have found that backing up data is one of the most common mistakes small businesses make when it comes to their computers and computer networks. Not because the data backups get done incorrectly, but because they aren't done at all. A lot of the Value of a small business is stored on the computers that the business uses. Think about it: customer lists, inventory database, proprietary software, the business's books. Close your eyes and imagine how you would continue business as usual if someone came in over the weekend and stole every computer in your workplace? Or your building burns down. Or a tornado takes everything to Oz. Get the picture?

Determining your Backup Strategy is very straight forward and by answering a few questions you will be half-way there.

What data (computer files or programs) do you need to run your business?

Make a list of and the location of all computer files that you will need in case of a disaster.

Most of the time these files are spread throughout the various computers in a small business.

Attempt to consolidate these files in as few locations on the computers as possible. This will make the actual act of backing up less complicated.

Decide how often you need to backup your data. Monthly, weekly, daily? I used to work for an organization that backed up their data the instant anything was written to their servers. The backups were on live servers in a far away place, which allowed the business to continue operations within hours in case the something terrible happened to their building. The frequency of your backups should be related to how much new data is written to your systems each day and how crippled your operation would be if you lost a day's, week's, month's worth of this information.

Decide the method of backing up. Something as simple as burning a CD with the mission critical data works for some. Others need sophisticated systems such as external tape drives backing up on a two week rotation, with the tapes stored off-site (sometimes simply in a fire-proof safe in an employees closet at home).

Finally, Just Do It! And keep a log that shows the date, time, success of backup, and the person logging the information. It is also recommended that a backup is restored and tested on a regular basis to make sure a backup is actually taking place.

The Boy Scouts of America had it right when they picked the Scout Motto: "Be Prepared"

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Risk - It's Everywhere!

The alarm clock awakes you and you are at risk! From your very first step when you get out of bed until you turn out your reading lamp as you close your eyes at night you are always assuming some risk. You can bang your toe with your first step in the morning and you can get an electric shock as you turn out that light at night. Let's face it, there is risk associated with everything you do.

Some risks are statistically very small but potentially very important - think of the drug tampering crime back in the 80's when seven people were killed by poison-laced Tylenol. Other risks are statistically higher but with relatively minor effects where we might be unhappy with a purchase. We spend a good portion of our time and energy attempting to eliminate or minimize risk in our personal life and our business life. With each purchasing decision we assess the amount of risk we are comfortable with and then act accordingly. Your customers and prospects do that also and are always seeking to minimize or eliminate the risks they incur.

Obviously, the greater the risk the buyer perceives, the more reluctance there is to purchase. That is why it is difficult to get prospects to change vendors or to get them to try something new without a good reason or a substantial incentive. The lower the risk the easier it is to get someone to try a new vendor or a new product. That is why there are so many "free" offers, coupons, incentives, rebates, and strong guarantees all attempting to lower the risk for the purchaser.

Marketers stay awake at night trying to figure out how to lower the perception of risk for their company's products figuring that, if they can minimize or eliminate that risk sales will increase as new people will try the product, enjoy the experience and come back for more. Will they win a new customer every time? No, but many great businesses have been built because they have been able to lower the risk enough to attract new customers. Try it!

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A Top-Notch Data Center Disaster Recovery Plan is Essential for Every Business

A high quality data center disaster recovery plan is a must for any company. It is not wise to be complacent as there is no telling when a problem may occur or disaster may strike. This plan is not something to put off until it's more convenient, or until you have more money or more time. Too many company managers make the mistake of concentrating on business proposals, deadlines, and meetings...failing to consider that the deadline for a good data center disaster recovery plan could be at any given time. Quite a few have paid dearly for this mistake.

Although the odds of a calamity striking may be low, the success if your business is not something to leave to chance. What happens if you are one of the unlucky ones whose invaluable business data are compromised? By giving a good data center disaster recovery plan top priority, you are not allowing possible "what if" scenarios a chance to manifest.

A solid plan has benefits in addition peace of mind. A reliable computer backup system provides services such as data security, orderly documentation, and file restoration. A quality computer backup system also ensures that lost or damaged files or programs will not disrupt the day-to-day operations of your business.

Having a top-notch data center disaster recovery plan is a good investment. Not only does it give the assurance of surviving a potential catastrophe, but it can save money over the longer-term by keeping your business running smoothly through efficient data management. Getting a high quality plan can offer your business a new life, while readily dismissing such a plan may lead to the death of your business.

Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?A-Top-Notch-Data-Center-Disaster-Recovery-Plan-is-Essential-for-Every-Business&id=797615
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6 Important Reasons Why You Need A Data Center Disaster Recovery Plan

More often than not a new business does not think a data center disaster recovery plan is necessary, much less a priority.

They usually think that a disaster won't happen to them or think that since their business doesn't use software as much as other businesses that their isn't any reason to spend the money required of a sound data center disaster recovery plan. But let me tell you why you definitely need it right now:

1. Self-Confidence: Employees and customers both will be grateful for the peace of mind that comes with protection against any sort of disaster. They can rest easy when the corporation they are devoted to knows how to think ahead and plan for unforeseen events. When the company makes certain that it is prepared for any crisis that may come its way, people defiantly feel secure and this brings on loyalty. It also acts as a major selling point to potential clients, helping build a strong customer base that is crucial in every business.

2. Records: Data center disaster recovery plans always include computer backup systems so businesses enjoy the proper documentation that is included in the system. This is just one fringe benefit any business can enjoy. An extremely useful feature of some systems is the capability of sorting and organizing backup data easily in case there is a need to refer and restore original files and programs that have been deleted or misplaced as a result of human error.

3. Safekeeping Files: The risk of data destruction is extremely high with all of the worms and viruses threatening computer systems on a daily basis. These malicious programs could wreak devastation on a data center, bringing the business to a complete stop. When you have a computer backup system you can fix this chaos quickly by replacing the corrupted files. Then it is back to business to usual at its normal speed.

4. Effectiveness: Computer backup systems support work efficiency by restoring damaged or deleted files, so the work stoppage is just a small blip of the chart instead of a major downtrend in production that a major delay would cause. You have to realize that data center disaster recovery plans are useful in minor problems or accidents as well as a full-blown disaster.

5. Investments: A data center disaster recovery plan saves the business a ton of money the first time it needs to be used. You are saving money in the long run by preventing any type of software problem, no matter what the size from affecting and slowing down business.

6. Worst Circumstance: If you are struck with any type of disaster and your valuable data is completely wiped out, not to worry; all you have to do is go to your online computer backups that can restore all the data that was lost. You can be sure that any businesses without any online computer backups will be wishing they had a serious data center disaster recovery plan in place when they are trying to remember what they lost!

Source: http://ezinearticles.com/?6-Important-Reasons-Why-You-Need-A-Data-Center-Disaster-Recovery-Plan&id=793620
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Making a Good Data Center Disaster Recovery Plan Starts With Online Computer Backups

There is one plan that is crucial to every business, and I am talking about the companies business. I am referring to the company's data center disaster recovery plan. By having a data center disaster recovery plan a company s able to ensure that it's precious data is safe and that if a small problem to large catastrophe were to take place, the company will be able to quickly recover and get back to business as usual.

Unfortunately, just knowing these facts are not enough to provide the safety required. Sure understanding their importance is a major part of it, but this understanding alone is not enough to prepare a company for the worst case scenario. In fact, there are actually quite a few things a company needs to take into consideration when creating a data center disaster recovery plan. The most important aspect, is figuring out exactly what you need, and than choosing a computer backup system which allows online computer backups and can handle everything your company may throw at it.

This selection is such a big deal because computer backup systems are the core piece of every data center disaster recovery plan. That is why your computer backup system must posses the ability to accommodate online computer backups for the most efficient protection. While it is true that backing up your important programs, files, and applications is an absolute must, for the best protection it is imperative that your computer backup system can allow you to back up your data to an online server.

Since computers within your network remain vulnerable to any attacks the main data center encounters, this means that by not having an online computer backup will in fact keep enable allow your data to, in sense, remain unprotected. Besides this threat, it can also be a major hassle having to keep track of data stored over a series of different computers or hardware devices. Just think how much organized your company will be with all of your important files securely stored in one place away from harms way.

By choosing an online server, you will be able to keep all your important backup data organized and readily available to those with authorized access to it. And, as mentioned above, online computer backups, by being a separate entity from the rest of your network, means that your information will be protected from any threats, internal and external, that the company may deal with.

Another key advantage to storing your data with online computer backups is that your computers will have a lot of space freed up, which will allow them to work much faster, making your company more efficient.

With all the advantages an online computer backup has to offer to a data center disaster recovery plan, one should be very diligent in finding a quality computer backup system that carries the online backup feature. This is actually the recommended starting point for every great data center disaster recovery plan.

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The Benefits of a User-Friendly Backup Program in a Data Center Disaster Recovery Plan

With all the other major elements to consider in choosing the right computer backup system for your data center disaster recovery plan, one other key feature sometimes get overlooked. That feature is how user-friendly the system actually is. But is this a mistake?

A lot of people think; who cares how user-friendly the computer back up system is, as long as it can keep the worms, viruses, moles, and human errors at bay, then what does it matter how easy it is to use. After all, user friendliness is not going to be able to house the terabytes of files, programs, applications and other data that the business needs to keep secure.

So, is a user-friendly computer backup system really worth the time it takes to find one? Absolutely! By having a user-friendly system, it allows those in charge of the data center disaster recovery plan to properly and efficiently back up your companies files. And since it is so easy to do, your employees will have no excuses for not doing regular backups, ensuring all your data is always safe and secure.

Sadly, a lot of companies do not give their plan the attention it deserves. The most common excuse seems to be that they are simply intimidated by the computer backup system. And rightfully so; in fact some systems are so complex that it turns locating a simple file into a very difficult task. With simple tasks like these being so difficult it is understandable that a company would be hesitant to do regular testing of the systems ability to successfully restore any lost data. This leaves them very vulnerable if a disaster were to strike.

As one would expect, the computer backup system; being the backbone of a data center disaster recovery plan, needs to be tested on a regular basis to ensure a business will not have a file recovery disaster if a disaster should strike. So, if a company has a complex computer backup system, it may be lenient on simulating massive file losses as it does not understand how the system works. The companies can not really be blamed for these, as even the most capable employees may be hesitant to attempt a test where they may expose the business to a major file recovery disaster.

Now you can see why a user-friendly system is an absolute must have component of any plan. By ensuring that you and your employees are capable and confident in using the computer backup system, you will be able to rest assured that your company will be able to recover from even the most devastating disasters.

change management

Business Continuity Planners - 1 Powerful Tip for a Focused, Involved Team

Are you challenged keeping team members involved in the continuing effort of developing and maintaining your company's business continuity plan? We know their reasons: too busy, don't understand the process, don't see the value, and don't perceive the project as a real company priority. Our challenge and concern: have team members seriously consider the information they are submitting to the continuity plan.

Not surprising is the fact that families and households are not planning for emergencies, disasters or terrorist attacks at home either. Everyone is busy. It is easy to gamble that nothing will happen. Every day that passes without incident reinforces that lack of action. As BC planners, we understand that a good plan is like insurance. We want to be fully covered, but hope we never have to use it.

How can we raise the awareness and motivate our employees to take continuity planning seriously? One solution is to encourage them to have a family home continuity plan.

As business recovery planners we can help. How? Apply the best practices learned over the last decade from the business continuity community to best practices for our team members and company employees to develop their own home continuity plans. Families and households have a lot of information to identify and document. Families need a structured methodology to get started and to avoid getting bogged down with unnecessary information.

Both our business and personal worlds are information dependent. Every household needs an easy, reliable way to create emergency preparedness and recovery plans to manage their own essential information to respond to an emergency or disaster, and to recover as painlessly as possible. What essential information: contact numbers, emergency procedures, evacuation routes, shelter addresses, lists and location of supplies, critical documents, user ID's, PIN numbers, credit, bank, retirement account numbers, medical information, insurance information, list of assets. Have your employees really considered what the impact would be if a home PC was stolen or damaged? Could they restore their applications and data to a new PC? Would that only impact them, or your company too?

What would happen if they could not get back into their house for several days? Would they have the information they need? What if they could not leave their house for several days, would they have the supplies they need and know what to do?

What are the benefits or why should you consider this?

· If a disruption is widespread and effects employees' families, people will be able to return to the workplace faster and be less distracted once they have secured their own households.

· If there is advanced warning, the employees responsible to handle the last minute efforts to secure the workplace, will have peace of mind knowing that their own family plan is being executed. They do not have to wait until they get home since they would have planned ahead of time what should be done and who will do it.

· This important and relevant planning experience will lead to better understanding of the continuity planning process at work. Expect better cooperation resulting in a more engaged workforce contributing better ideas and insights.

· When they leave the workplace each day, they will better understand that the important documents left on their desks and the important information on their PC's must be able to be reproduced. It is more likely that PCs will be backed up. Documents will be logged in and stored according to the company's continuity plan.

· For employees who work at home, this is an opportunity to reemphasize the company's policy of backing up that work and having the work available to their department at all times.

· And last but not least, successful companies foster the sense that their employees are important. This is another way to show that your company cares for its employees and that this company is a family friendly place to work.

How can we do this, aren't we busy enough? Right now, how are you getting the word out about business continuity planning? Use the same techniques.

· In your newsletter or on your Intranet, deliver a project plan for completing a home continuity plan. Have one task or topic in each newsletter. Include tips and Internet URLs as resources for additional information.

· Include short discussions on continuity planning at department or company meetings. Talk about both business continuity and home continuity issues. Show what they have in common.

· Provide worksheets. Fill in common information to get them started such as contact numbers and addresses for local first responders, hospitals, shelters, government disaster planning agencies; sources for weather updates and traffic advisories; your company's emergency numbers.

· There is a growing awareness that families must be prepared for the first 72 hours following a crisis. Information and tools on how to create a home continuity and emergency preparedness plan are increasing.

· Share testimonials and experiences. Has there been a local incident such as a tornado, flood, hurricane, or fire? What was learned? What was needed at the time? What is being done differently today?

· If your company is purchasing medical supplies, food, water or other emergency supplies, consider offering to make purchases for employees using your company discount.

All companies rely on its employees. All business continuity plans rely on its employees. All employees care first for their families. This is a Win Win approach.

copyright@2007 Home Continuity Solutions, LLC

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Disaster Management - Key Concerns And Prevention Measures

Introduction

India has been traditionally vulnerable to natural disasters on account of its unique geo-climatic conditions. Floods, droughts, cyclones, earthquakes and landslides have been recurrent phenomena. At times, the same area is subjected to floods and drought situation in successive seasons or years. While not all natural calamities can be predicted and prevented, a state of preparedness and ability to respond quickly to a natural calamity can considerably mitigate loss of life and property and the human suffering and restore normalcy at the earliest. It is, therefore, of paramount importance that a plan of action for dealing with contingencies that arise in the wake of natural calamities is formulated and periodically updated. Timely Management of disaster reduces human sufferings and economic losses caused by natural and technological disasters. In this paper an attempt is made to highlight some of the grey areas that exist as far as disaster management in India is concerned. It also discusses prevention measures that can help in better recovery from such disasters.

Key Concerns of Disaster Management

Lack of seriousness about the issue: In number of cases it is seen that people or govt. is generally non-serious about the issue before the disaster actually happens. Countless times, it happens that people are living in such areas which are not recommended technically because the building is very old and it should be demolished, or the adequate safety measures have not been taken at the time of construction. Even sometimes warnings are given to the residents of particular area by the environmentalists about the forecast of occurrence of natural calamity but the people do not take it seriously until such incidents actually occurs. Natural disasters impart lessons at a very high cost of life and property. But if those lessons do not lead to learning and knowledge generation then it is a very heavy cost to bear. This lack of learning from the past hurts most at the recurrence of disasters. The earthquake in Gujarat (26th January 2001, an earthquake of 7.9 magnitude on Richter scale struck Gujarat, India, with its epicentre in Kutch, causing destruction of three towns and death of more than 20,000 people) and the subsequent chaos was an indicator of how crucial disaster planning is to manage relief and rehabilitation during disasters. The country will have to pay more attention towards creating public awareness and preparedness in respect of people living in known disaster prone areas.

Lack of strategic direction: Another important key concern is "lack of strategic direction" which means although people or Govt. is actually aware about the issue but they don't know how to strategically deal it. There is a plethora of literature describing the inappropriate actions taken to manage past disasters. Many of the same mismanagement problems tend to recur. Few examples of such mismanagement are:

· Physicians and nurses have been sent into disaster areas in numbers far in excess of actual need.

· Medical and paramedical personnel have often been hampered by the lack of the specific supplies they need to apply their skills to the disaster situation.

· In some disasters, available supplies have not been inventoried until well after the disaster, resulting in the importation of material which is used or needed.

Inadequate funds and infrastructure to handle disaster: Once the disaster occurs in a particular area or a region, it needs lots of funds and building of infrastructure to minimize the sufferings of the victims of disaster and rehabilitate them. But in case of India or other developing /underdeveloped countries, which are generally the victims of such disasters, funds are the measure problem. Even if funds are generated with the help of NGO's/ International assistance/people/Govt. , number of times funds are generally stuck in between and do not reach to the deprived one. Another important issue here is victims not only need food and shelter for a time being but they need permanent settlement. They need employment which can make them self dependant and that is the only way of solving their problem

Lack of co ordination of different services and departments: At the time of disaster, the coordination among different services and departments are very important. In order to implement the policies effectively and for the fast recovery from disaster it is very essential that all the departments should work as a single unit. But in most of the cases, it is found that co ordination among various departments and agencies are very poor. It must have Coordination with the local community, civil defense, army, police, fire brigade and with various governmental and non-governmental bodies including voluntary organizations.

Lack of planning and implementation: In order to come out of the disaster and make the things at place as previous, proper planning and implementation is needed. Planning involves such issues as "how to deal with the issue, "what all measures should be taken to solve the problem as quickly as possible" etc. But the planning part has no use if the proper implementation of such planning is not done. Therefore, planning and implementation is very much required in order to deal with a disaster or a calamity.

Due to lack of planning and implementation, the timely help that poured in from all over the world could not be utilized properly and in time. The emergency medical services (EMS) systems though are existing in some metropolitan cities are ill organized and weak as is evident from past experiences of mass casualties of bomb blasts (BSE - Mumbai), earthquakes (Maharashtra & Gujarat) and communal violence (Gujarat).

Lack of knowledge about the issue: Most serious key concern about the disaster is "Lack of Knowledge about the issue". If the proper knowledge about the disaster management will not be there then it will not only be difficult but impossible to deal with the issue. Because any disaster requires fast and expert handling of the issue. Poorly planned development can turn a recurring natural phenomenon into a human & economic disaster. Allowing dense populations on a floodplain or permitting poor or un-enforced building codes in earthquake zones is as likely as a natural event to cause casualties and losses. Similarly, allowing the degradation of natural resources increases the risk of disaster. Awareness generation is a key prerequisite for prevention, mitigation and preparedness by the community. Existing institutions like press, radio, television should be used extensively for generating awareness..The need of the hour is to make people aware about the issue, train them and make them expert professional in dealing with disaster. Timely management of disaster only helps in recovery from such traumatic incidents.

Disaster Prevention Measures

Infrastructure development: The entire disaster mitigation game plan must necessarily be anchored to frontline research and development in a holistic mode. State-of-the art technologies available worldwide need to be made available in India for up gradation of the disaster management system; at the same time, dedicated research activities should be encouraged, in all frontier areas related to disasters like biological, space applications, information technology, nuclear radiation etc., for a continuous flow of high quality basic information for sound disaster management planning,

Institutional arrangement: Institutional arrangements for disaster response are the heart of disaster management systems. There is no dearth of personnel, both civilian and military, experienced in handling situations arising out of natural disasters. However, there certainly is a pressing need for improvement and strengthening of existing institutional arrangements and systems in this regard to make the initial response to a disaster more effective and professional. Most of the resources and expertise needed already exist with the Government. What needs to be streamlined is how they should be integrated, trained and deployed. Some of the areas where improvement is urgently needed are:

a) Integrated planning for disasters, including the integration of relevant Armed Forces formations into disaster management planning at all levels from District to State and Central Government.

b) Setting up of a modern, permanent national command centre or operations room, with redundant communications and data links to all State capitals.

c) Establishment of a national stand by, quick reaction team composed of experienced professionals, both military and civilian, drawn from Central and State Government staff to respond immediately by flying in a matter of hours to the locations when a disaster strikes.

d) Creation of urban search and rescue capacity at all levels, by establishing a fully equipped Search and Rescue unit, as part of the fire service in all State capitals, with trained staff and modern equipment.

e) Media policy geared to handling the growing phenomenon of real time television reporting, which generates enormous political pressures on a government to respond rapidly and efficiently.

f) Closer interface with and better understanding of the international system for disaster response, and putting in place, systems for dealing with international assistance once it comes in e.g., customs, immigration, foreign policy implications etc. A greater appreciation is needed of the speed and automation of modern international response to a natural disaster. Closer interaction is required between of the Ministry of External Affairs and the relevant inter-national agencies concerned with disaster response.

h) Modern unified legislation for disaster management. In view of the current division of responsibilities between the State and Central Government into state, central and concurrent lists, there is a need to create a body of legislation dealing with response to natural disasters and other emergencies, clearly delineating responsibilities and powers of each entity and specifying what powers or actions would need to be triggered on declaration of a disaster by the Government of India or a State Government. This legislation should also incorporate the current legislation dealing with chemical emergencies that has been created by the Ministry of Environment so that all emergencies are dealt with under one law. The legislation should include clear definitions of what constitutes a disaster at a national level.

Education and training on disaster management: Under the Government of India and United Nations Development Programme , Disaster Risk Management Programme special emphasis has been laid on preparing the communities to face various hazards by generating awareness and increasing the capacity of various stakeholders to counter the adverse affects of disasters through integration of disaster mitigation into development planning, conducting special training for the disaster management personnel, creating public awareness India being prone to various disasters it is needless to emphasize the important role that educationalist and students can play in creating awareness in communities. Schoolteachers and children can become model disaster managers for a community that has faced a severe disaster in the recent past. They have done appreciable work in generating awareness, identifying the vulnerabilities, coping with them and working together as a team to reduce the impact of the disasters on the community. Truly, these are examples that reiterate the strong social responsibility that the institution as a school carries with it.

Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has successfully introduced Disaster Management as a frontline curriculum for class VIII and Class IX and proposed for class X in 2005 - 2006 in all the school board and has already imparted training to more than 1000 teachers throughout the country.

Networking policy makers, professionals, specialists, volunteers, activists and representatives of various government bodies as well as NGOs and international voluntary organizations: NGOs and PFs have to play a major role in bringing concerns related to risk management on to the national agenda and in promoting a shift of focus from mere relief response to disaster mitigation and preparedness. Agencies have to work well with local government and trend has to be set for collaborative work in disaster mitigation and preparedness. The government has to accept them as major partners in these tasks. The need for the application of international standards has been evolving over the last decade. Consistency is needed not just in how we respond, but in when we respond. The action plans should include:

(1) Development of positions of standards for management, health and public health, education and training, research, psychosocial aspects, and disaster plans

(2) Advocating for actions and task forces to deal with evolving and emerging disasters, terrorism, landmines, and emerging infections

(3) Working proactively to advocate and facilitate the multidisciplinary and multiorganisational requirements for disaster management and

(4) Developing a resource list of interdisciplinary institutions and activities organized by country and topics including the design and maintenance of a website proactively. Measures to be taken after occurrence of Disaster:

Step by step process:

Step 1: Arrange food and shelter for victims of disaster: In Post disaster phase, everything gets destroyed & damaged and the victims nor has food to eat or money to buy it neither a shelter to cover their heads. Those who survived out of the disaster live more miserable life and their sufferings are much higher than those who died in the disaster. When the disaster has made houses uninhabitable and there has been no evacuation of the area, temporary shelter must be arranged for those affected, for those who generally prefer to remain on the spot, in or near their property. It may happen that the population settles all over the place (waste ground, gardens, parks, squares, parking areas, sports grounds, etc), using anything that comes to hand (planks, plastics, tents, cars, containers, boats, railway wagons, buildings under construction, schools, public buildings, etc.). The sanitary situation may then rapidly deteriorate and it becomes very difficult to assess requirements.

Therefore, the first & foremost responsibility of govt. is to make arrangements of the food and shelter for the sufferers and it should ensure that

1. There are adequate amounts of safe drinking water, basic sanitation facilities, disposal of excreta, waste water and solid wastes and adequate shelter

2. Provide food protection measures, establishing or continuing vector control measures, and promoting personal hygiene

Communities exposed to the risk of disaster (and those that propose to give shelter to displaced persons) should select sites for temporary shelter (before a disaster strikes) and carry out the necessary preparatory work. The sites chosen for erecting shelters should be:

· Flood-proof, above high-water level,

· Preferably on a gentle slope to facilitate rainwater and waste water drainage,

· Not too close to the water table; otherwise the ground could become marshy in the rainy season,

· Protected against landslides and subsidence,

· Easily accessible, not far from the centre of the population,

· At a higher level than waste tips,

· Downstream from sources of drinking water.

(B) Availability of cooking, feeding and medical help in each shelter: Once the arrangement of shelter is been made than in each shelter their must be some arrangement for cooking, feeding and medical help. Some raw food in the form of flour, rice, pulses etc should be provided in addition to fuel for cooking. So that the victims become independent and they can at least cook for them if the ready food is not available or delayed. It has been seen that in disaster events, major national and international efforts are focused on giving food supplies to disaster-affected persons. However, in the absence of adequate cooking fuel these supplies do not help survivors, and quite a substantial amount gets spoiled. Thus, supply of stoves, which can run on both diesel and kerosene or solar cookers, may be useful. Instead of using kerosene or wood for burning bodies, it can be saved as a cooking fuel. Next thing which is very crucial is the availability of medical facility in each shelter because there is huge possibility of the danger of epidemics or other disease which may be water, soil or air borne. Trained Doctors as well as Nurses should be available for 24 hours in disaster affected area.The local health personnel should prepare periodic reports (weekly at the outset, then monthly) summarizing from the daily information collected bearing the following issues:

· The composition of the community: It is important to know the number and age-structure of the local population in order to adapt health activity programs accordingly and to assess requirements. Since this number keeps changing, the data must be updated periodically.

· The number and type of health personnel available, including local and volunteers from elsewhere.

· The causes of death, which is an important indicator for assessing the health situation.

· The cases that could not be dealt with on the spot and the reasons behind the decision to evacuate.

· The establishments to which people have been evacuated: this makes it possible to adapt the data received from the intermediate level so as to make rational use of support structures and specialized centres.

· The symptoms and diseases seen by the local health team: this indicates the disease pattern that is developing and the number of people affected.

· The programs and activities under way: this enables the intermediate level to take into account what the local team has already undertaken and to give the team indications on how to adapt its activities to the epidemiological forecasts made at intermediate level and in accordance with the evolution of the health situation in the whole of the disaster area.

Step 2: Reconstruction of House and Relocation of victims of Disaster

(A) Reconstruction of house of victims, if possible: Next important step is reconstruction of houses for the sufferers of the disaster. If possible, govt. should build the houses for victims to permanently settle them. Because they have lost everything in the disaster and they don't have money to buy the food and other essential things. For them making a house will be an impossible thing. Therefore Govt. should arrange for them some area where separate houses could be built in accordance with the available funds and resources.

(B) Relocation of victims to some other places: If it is not possible to construct the houses for the victims of disaster than they should be provided some sort of help in the form of interest free loan, or land at concessional rates etc., to settle down in new areas. Govt. should allocate a piece of land to each family so that they can make their arrangements at that place.

Step 3: Look for available employment opportunities: The arrangement for shelter and food will have no meaning in long run if the victims will not get employment. For such victims whose occupation get destroyed or damaged in the disaster, for them it is very essential that govt. should think of providing employment opportunities.

References:
"Special correspondent"."Holistic policy on disaster management". "The Hindu". (December 2005) "Anil K Gupta and Vijay Pratap Singh Aditya"."Contours of collaboration: Coping with Disasters through effective inter-organizational networks".Seminar held on 11th september'02.
"Disaster management unit north eastern council, shillong". "Disaster management -a regional perspective for development". http//necouncil.nic.in/dimnec
"Contingency Action Plan". http://disaster.bih.nic.in/ National%20Policy / Introduction.htm
"Joshi S.R.". "Natural disasters in north-east region and its management".
http://necouncil.gov.in/dimnec/dm1.htm
"Vulnerability Reduction & Sustainable Environment"
http://www.undp.org.in/VRSE/DME/default.htm
Draft: Disaster Management Guidelines - Trauma & Injuries".
http://www.iapindia.org/dmgTrauma.cfm
Model state disaster management policy for disaster management
http://necouncil.nic.in/dimnec/state_dm_plan-assam.doc

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The Importance of Continuity and Disaster Recovery in an Organization

Continuity and disaster recovery is one aspect that a company has to focus on to have effective and successful operations most of the time. This would assure them that in the event of any kind of disaster, their business would be able to remain fully functional and operational.

Unfortunately, business owners simply cannot tell as to when disaster would strike. That is why they would have to be prepared with a plan that would make sure that all the operations and transactions of the company would be able to pull through. Such a plan is referred to as a Business Continuity Planning or BCP. It is a methodology, used in the creation and validation of a logistical plan as to how the organization would be able to recover or restore the critical functions, which have been interrupted, all within a specified timeframe after the disaster or an extended disruption.

In other words, the BCP would be how the organization will prepare for any future unfortunate incidents, which might jeopardize the missions and goals of the company. These unfortunate incidents could be natural disasters such as earthquakes and typhoons, or fires or epidemic diseases.

The BCP is also considered as part of the overall learning strategies of the organization, which would be able to minimize any operational risks due to possible issues in the information management controls. The process could also be incorporated in the company's plan to improve information security, as well as in their reputation risk management practices.

More and more companies strive to establish a good BCP, as they aim to be able to create a foundation for the comprehension, development and implementation of the continuance of normal business operations in an organization, thus providing conference in all business relations that they engage in.

Continuous Data Protection Offers Viable Alternative to Traditional Backup Methods

For some businesses the need continuous access critical data for customers, to operate the business, losing any data can translate to thousands of dollars lost. In order to recover the data, it can take up to 6 or more hours of personnel time, depending on the time lapse between the last backup and the recovery.

According to Gartner Research, two out of five companies do not survive a catastrophic blow to their systems and data (fire, flood, etc). A single incident of data loss costs businesses an average of $10,000 (PwC/DTI Information Security Breaches Survey 2002).

Continuous data protection (CDP) is becoming a viable, cost-effective alternative to traditional scheduled back up. With CDP there is no scheduled backup. Instead, anytime something is written to a disk it is automatically backed up, and a "storage snapshot" is taken of the file change. The snapshots are then recorded on electronic log or journal.

The primary advantage is that data recovery is nearly instantaneous. Plus, because each data change is recorded into a digital journal, IT personnel can also examine the journal to solve a host of problems. These include lost files and corrupted or mutilated data. It also takes less time to investigate than it does with tradition tape backup.

CDP also has other advantages; specifically regarding staffing and security. When it comes to staffing, because CDP is automated, it eliminates the time-consuming storage management tasks and frees up staff to focus on business-critical tasks. In the case of a virus or malware, CDP offers an extra layer of security by allowing IT staff to easily roll back to find clean versions of damaged files.

No solution is 'one size fits all.' Each business is unique so each business' backup and disaster recovery plan will be different. Depending on your business, a combination of backup capabilities may be best suited to protect various levels of data - from the utmost critical data to keep the business running to data the is less essential to business operations.

The key to business continuity and disaster recovery planning is to first understand the impact an outage, loss or major disaster will have on your business and then pick the right procedures and tools to minimize that impact.

6 Reasons A Data Center Disaster Recovery Plan Is Essential to Your Business

All too often, new businesses do not recognize the importance of having a data center disaster recovery plan. Not only is it important - it is a necessity.

They may put a low priority on data center disaster recovery for many different reasons. Perhaps they feel that a disaster is a very unlikely occurrence, or maybe they don't think that the data is that important to their business. Regardless of their reasons, though, having a sound data center disaster recovery plan is important to any business.

Why is it so important?

1. Confidence.

Clients and staff alike will appreciate the peace of mind that comes from the assurance of protection against disaster of any kind. They'll rest easy knowing the company they are loyal to cares enough to to be proactive and plan contingencies, ensuring it is well-prepared for any problem that may come along. This assurance acts as a major selling point to potential customers as well as giving people a reason to remain loyal to the company, which in the long run, helps to build a strong customer base that is crucial in every business.

2. Documentation.

Computer backup systems are the backbone of all data center disaster recovery plans, but proper documentation is an important factor that any business will benefit from. Many systems are capable of sorting and organizing backup data easily. This is extremely useful when there is a need to locate and restore original files and programs that have been deleted or misplaced as a result of human error. A good data center disaster recovery system is a blessing in these cases.

3. File security.

The risk of file corruption is extremely high these days. There are countless worms and viruses that threaten computer systems on a daily basis. Computer viruses and malicious attacks can corrupt or delete files and generally wreck havoc on your data center, slowing business operations to a standstill and crippling productivity. Having a good computer backup system can get the business back on its feet quickly and restore the corrupted files, allowing business to resume at its required pace while maintaining production quality.

4. Efficiency.

Data center disaster recovery plans aren't only useful in the case of full-blown disasters; minor problems can cause a significant delay in production, as well. A plan can immediately address these problems as well. Computer backup systems can boost work efficiency by restoring damaged or deleted files, resulting in a barely noticeable drop in production rather than a major delay.

5. Cost Savings.

It's true, investing in a data center disaster recovery plan can save money. By preventing and solving problems of all sizes from affecting and slowing down business, you will be saving money in the long run. It can even prevent major financial losses in case of # 6.

6. Worst-case scenario.

If a disaster (natural or otherwise) strikes and destroys valuable data, the businesses it affected will be glad they had online computer backups that can restore all of their lost data. The unfortunate businesses without these online computer backups, though, will be wishing they took their data center disaster recovery plan seriously as they struggle to try to rebuild their businesses from the ground up.

Do You Really Need A Data Center Disaster Recovery Plan

When it comes to a data center disaster recovery plan what if is not really an option.

Picture yourself running your very own small business. This may not be the largest company in the world but imagine it is doing pretty good.

You may have just landed your first major client. You know the type that will keep you and your employees busy trying to please him or her. You are working hard trying to get everything done before the closing date you set with your client gets here. Even though everything is a little hectic you should be able to meet your deadline on time.

Anything less than having the project finished by this deadline is totally unacceptable and you will probably lose his business if you mess this deal up.

Now imagine a loud scream filling the room. After you get your wits about you and you set out to discover the source of the noise you find one of the people who work for you looking at a blank monitor screen. This person who works for you sadly tells you he accidentally just deleted all of your customers files by mistake.

You can picture all of this new business going somewhere else because you know you will never meet that deadline now. What if you had installed that data center disaster recovery plan you had been thinking about just last week? If you had the foresight to add a computer backup system to your business you would be in great shape.

Want to hear some more?

It is not always a simple mistake that causes such a disaster. I get emails all the time telling me to watch out for some brand new virus. If you are not careful every computer in your office will have that virus on it. Using online computer backups make a lot of sense when you start thinking about losing files.

There is more.

You may get lucky and miss the latest virus. But there is always the chance some sort of disaster will come your way. Earthquakes and floods happen all the time and they may take every file on your computer system with them.

Your business needs to be ready for whatever comes along with a data center disaster recovery plan. Being prepared with a computer backup system and online computer backups may make all the difference in the world.

Are you getting the point?

You should never put off putting a data center disaster recovery plan into action. It is a part of your business you cannot afford to ignore. Be prepared and your business will be in a much better position to succeed.

Continuity and Disaster Recovery in Business - Analysis of Business Impact

Analysis of business impact would be a crucial aspect of the process of the business continuity planning. This step would be quantifying the data and would be getting into the real issues of potential losses, which could negatively impact your business. This particular step is used to be able to understand the most critical impacts, as well as how to be able to protect your data, processes, people, assets, communications and the goodwill and reputation of the organization.

Organizations usually think of disaster recovery, when business continuity and the analysis of the business impact is a lot more focused on making sure that the business is kept operational and less focused on disaster recovery. The analysis of business impact is also not focused just on the possible disasters but also on the possible critical discontinuities. The primary elements of Business Impact Analysis would be identifying the critical business functions, establishing the maximum outage time, which is acceptable for each of the functions, and determining the impact of not being able to perform those functions. All of these could be measured using legal, financial, operations, regulatory and customer service requirements.

As soon as the adequacy of the security and controls has been evaluated and the critical business functions as well as the outage times have been defined, the business continuity planner has to develop some level of understanding on the probability threats which is factored by the impact or severity and also to start developing an analysis of cost benefit for the largest impact as well as the highest probability threats.

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