Can Your Business Recover Swiftly After an Emergency?

Home Security is certainly one of the most pressing worries for anyone who cares about family and loved ones. But once your physical defensive means against home intrusion are in place and after you possibly installed some form of Surveillance, you may think that the job is done and that life is only to be enjoyed.

However most people, and probably you too, spend quite long hours of their lives at their job or work or business. You may or may not have responsibilities for what happens there, but anyhow you would not want to be involved in any unpleasant surprises.

Therefore it is not out of place you take time to look around your desk, or machine, or post and see if any dangers that you may think of, seem not to have been dealt with properly.

It is true that in any civilized place there are firm rules and laws that the employer is bound to know and respect, and that there are officers whose job is to oversee their correct application. But mistakes and faults do happen. Who should be in charge of security and well being for the very place you work in?

Could a fire start and spread nearby? Are there fire extinguishers somewhere within reach? Do everybody know the best escape route? Can all run away safely in a short time?

This is only an example of something extremely disturbing that could occur either because of technical malfunction of an appliance, machine or device, or for human carelessness of somebody in your area.

Other more disturbing accidents could possibly happen. Although the Management is responsible for preparing contingency plans, everyone, you included, can easily consult official sites calling for awareness and provide suggestions for limiting the damages of disasters.

If specific precautions seem easily affordable, you, as the diligent person you are, can volunteer to do some preparation work. If more complex study has to be devoted to certain aspects, probably a team should work on it.

Bosses would probably appreciate and encourage such an involvement. If, sad to say, something serious does happen, contingency plans should be ready for getting back to work in the shortest time with the least possible disturbance.

It may not be easy, it may be costly, it may take some time but having thought beforehand of all important provisions you would certainly have helped in recovering as soon as possible by concentrating in doing useful things, avoiding inactivity and despair.

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Understanding the Beginning of Business Continuity Plans and Disaster Recovery Plans

Entering the computer age, a disaster recovery plan was a concept and not much else. The idea was that a plan would be in place for the day when things went wrong. This worked at the time when computers in world numbered in the 100's - there were not more computers than people in an office.

Organizations got bigger and computer departments were suddenly as big as the sales department, more IT consultants were bringing in more hardware and software and no one really noticed the day that computers had a greater value than the people in the office.

In that first phase when there was a mainframe, a form of backup was done on a regular basis, the backed up material was moved to a safe location and the idea was that if the mainframe went down, then spare time could be used on a different mainframe in a different location.

Now a 50 person office has 75 computers; at least .

Now there is a complex telephone system that is just a little gray box with some wires coming out of it, and no one cares what it does because it works.

All those little wires pass through a closet that was originally built just for the wires, but hey, with the space issues this company has we may as well stock paper in the closet; or the corrosive cleaning material.

The main frame is gone and instead of having one machine running everything important we have a lot of little computers each running a little task that collectively replaced the main frame.

Imagine; that mainframe used to do 50 tasks and now those tasks are spread out over 50 different PCs. Everything works because the computer kid set it all up. Then he has a falling out with his girlfriend, the secretary. Better for him, he got accepted into University 200 miles away on an athletic scholarship. Or, his parking is taken away because of some reason that made sense to the decision maker. For whatever reason he is no longer in the company and things run just fine.

What is the expression; things run just fine until they don't?

Suddenly the person that left is understood to be the most important person in the company, because things either slowly stop, or just drop dead. If the computer guy left in a bad mood and in a hurry he could have just switched some cables. If he had time he could have programmed your data based to erased itself after running a backup (and he set the backup to not save anything).

Your phone lines can be switched so all calls go to the lunch room, or the presidents office or just randomly to different extensions. Most expensive scenario, all inbound called are forwarded to another country. Worst scenario, all inbound sales calls are sent to your competition.

The Business Continuity Plans and Disaster Recovery plan is not something sold "one size fits all" and in fact almost all plans fail because of the impossibility to consider all the possible aspects of future failure and issues.

This is no longer the beginning of the computer age, and a disaster recover plan must be part of your business plan. I should not say it here, but an acceptable option at Managing Director level is to not have a plan because of any number of reasons, but a decision must be made.

The idea behind a modern Disaster Recovery plan is the Business Continuity aspect. When things go wrong, and they will, business must continue as close to normal while an effort is made to return the office to normal.

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Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Categories

A Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery (BCDR) plan can be created for anything. Natural disasters, business plans, infrastructure projects, daily operations of a business, sports teams, really anything that has the possibility of not running right can have a plan. For this article the term will be project, which is open to your interpretation on what a project actually is.

Who takes the kids to schools when the primary driver has the flu? That is the most basic BC plan.

What do we do when we get a flat tire? That is the most basic DR plan.

These 2 examples may not be written out, but they are just as valid as any other plan, and there is usually a plan in place. And yes, you can have one half without the other or call the plan DRBC if recovering from the disaster is a higher priority than continuing business.

Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery plans are developed for certain circumstances that have the probability of occurring. Spending years of work and millions of dollars to secure a data center in the Atacama mountains desert region against flooding is useless. Equally useless is spending years of work and millions of dollars to prevent a New York snow in the winter.

There are 4 primary categories that are considered important in BCDR; avoidance, mitigation, transference and acceptance. Acceptance is contested as an option because there are not many people want to build a plan that says we accept a risk and a failure and can not mitigate, transfer or avoid it. There are cases when there is no real option other than accepting that there may be failure.

A sample project is to install a new telephone system in my office.

In a Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery plan, avoidance is building steps into your project to eliminate the risk or to protect the project from anything negative by means that you will determine.

My project may be late because it takes place from 15 December to 15 January, a time when many of my staff will take vacation. I can avoid an impact on my project by requesting an extension on the project, requiring additional resources, requesting extra money or many other options - you are limited by your imagination.

The idea behind transference is that the possibility of financial impact to the project is limited by contracting out some aspect of the work. I transfer the responsibility for part of the project to someone else. Transferring responsibility does not transfer accountability. The person in charge still has to accept that a failure is related to improper planning.

My December project may be late so I have hired a company to accomplish 3 critical tasks. If these tasks are not finished on time and in sequence, the project will not finish on time. I have signed a service level agreement with the vendor and the company will put all the resources required to deliver on time. If they fail to deliver on time they will not be paid, it the overall project is late because they fail to deliver on time they will pay me $1000 per day for a maximum of 15 days.

Mitigation is the part of the plan that takes the most thought. If mitigation is done properly then avoidance, transference and acceptance are clear. Mitigation is something you do to reduce the probability or consequences of a risk impacting your project. You may also define an acceptable level of impact that does not threaten the completion of your project Mitigation is very often costly and time consuming.

My December project requires new telephones for each of the 500 desks in our office. My regular supplier can guarantee 400 telephones at an $262.50 per phone, a 25% discount. The supplier is also reasonably sure to deliver the 500 on time and at the same price. To mitigate the risk of having 100 people without phones I agree that the supplier contract with a third party and buy 100 phones at the standard $350 price

Total cost of 500 phones from one supplier 500*262.50=$131,250.
Total cost of my phones from two suppliers (400*262.50)+(100*350)= $140,000
Mitigation cost $8750
Solution, pay the slight increase.

Second scenario for a larger company:

My December project requires new telephones for each of the 5000 desks in our office. My regular supplier can guarantee 2500 telephones at an $262.50 per phone, a 25% discount. The supplier is unable deliver the 5000 on time and at the same price. To mitigate the risk of having 2500 people without phones discuss with senior management to contract with a third party and buy 2500 phones at the standard $350 price, plus 10% for shipping

Cost of 2500 phones from one supplier 2500*262.50=$656,250.
Cost of 2500 phones from second supplier 2500*385=$ 962,500.
Total budget for phones $ 1,312,500
Total cost of phones $1,618,750
Mitigation cost $ -306,250
Solution - do you have $306,250 spare, or do you delay project completion?

Acceptance is the decision to accept certain risks and live with them. This means you do not change the project plan to deal with a risk or identify any response strategy other than agreeing to accept the risk if it is too costly or time consuming. A decision must be made to accept the risk, and the consequences. This decision must be made by a person with the highest level of authority. If the risk comes to pass and something fails the decision may mean late delivery of a project or failure as a team.

Second scenario similar to the one above:

My December project requires new telephones for each of the 5000 desks in our office. My regular supplier can guarantee 2500 telephones at a $262.50 per phone, our standard 25% discount. The supplier is unable deliver the 5000 on time and at the same price. To mitigate the risk of having 2500 people without phones discuss with senior management to contract with a third party and buy 2500 phones at the standard $350 price, plus 10% for shipping

Cost of 2500 phones from one supplier 2500*262.50=$656,250.
Cost of 2500 phones from second supplier 2500*385=$ 962,500.
Total budget for phones $ 1,312,500
Total cost of phones $1,618,750
Mitigation cost $ 306,250
Management does not have $306,250 to spend on the project and accepts that there may be a late delivery on some phones.
A mitigation plan will be put in place to make sure that the problem is handled the best way possible.

As stated above, a Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery (BCDR) plan can be created for anything. The coach of a team has a replacement in mind when players are injured, Floridians board up windows when a storm comes. The most important part of your BCDR is realizing that you need one and start defining the actions that people will take when things go wrong, and at one time or another - they will.

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Uninterruptible Power Supplies and Harmonics

Harmonic pollution is a growing problem in Europe and one that designers of power continuity programmes and manufacturers of UPS (uninterruptible power supplies) cannot ignore. Typical harmonic problems include the distortion of mains power supply voltage, overheating of wiring, neutral conductors, supply transformers and switchgear and nuisance tripping of breakers. Harmonics can also cause disruption to equipment on the same supply and lead to random failures.

Harmonics are caused by voltage or current waveforms with frequencies that are multiples of the fundamental frequency - in Europe, 50Hz (50 cycles per second). The multiples are always ordered in a specific sequence: for example, the 2nd harmonic is 100Hz (2x50Hz), the third 150Hz and the fourth 200Hz and so on.

The particular problem of Triplens (third order) harmonics. Harmonics are a particular issue for power continuity management due to the large number of switch mode power supply (SMPS) loads being connected to modern electrical distribution networks - and their associated UPS systems. These are the most common form of power supply unit (PSU) in use today. As a non-linear load, they draw their power in regular modulated pulses of current from a mains power supply rather than as a continuous linear supply. This can lead to SMPSs generating high levels of harmonics, especially when many are being supplied from a single three-phase mains power supply.

In particular, system designers must be aware of the potentially damaging Triple-Ns (or Triplens) whose harmonic order numbers are multiples of three and include the notorious third-harmonics as well as ninths and fifteenths. Thirds are probably the most challenging harmonic in terms of neutral conductor loading within a three-phase system. Whereas other harmonics cancel each other out, third-harmonics are in phase with each other and exhibit a summing effect which greatly increases the current - potentially overloading conductors and switchgear.

Harmonics and total power factor - implications for UPS sizing. Harmonics are also closely related to power factor management - and another key aspect of uninterruptible power supply system design and implementation. The displacement power factor is only applicable to the fundamental frequency (50Hz in Europe) and therefore does not take into account the power factor generated by any harmonics induced into the mains power supply by the load itself (referred to as the distortion power factor and produced by the harmonics produced by non-linear loads). The combination of the displacement power factor and the distortion power factor gives what is known to UPS systems experts as the true power factor. When correctly sizing a UPS, an understanding of this is critical.

Mitigation of total harmonics distortion. Harmonics issues need to be addressed at the design stage of any power continuity plan. Not least, because consumers are responsible for the harmonic levels introduced into their three-phase mains power supply.

A UPS can sometimes be fitted with a harmonic filter (post installation) but this can be a costly and inelegant solution as extensive internal wiring changes may be required. For a transformer-based UPS, using a 12-pulse rectifier in place of a 6-pulse set will reduce the levels of THDi (total harmonic distortion). Coupling this with a passive filter will provide further reduction to around 4%.

For a transformerless uninterruptible power supply, THDi levels of less than 4% can be achieved by installing an active harmonic filter. However, levels as low as 3% can now be achieved by some designs whose rectifiers are IGBT (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor) based. This can remove the need for an additional active harmonic filter and simplify the UPS design process. Such designs are expected to become the norm: not only do they reduce initial costs, but they allow a smaller UPS system footprint whilst increasing input power factors.

Active harmonic filters reduce the impact of leading power factors. When designing a power continuity plan and UPS system, various methods can be applied to reduce the impact of leading power factors (where the current waveform leads the voltage waveform): ensuring that leading power factors represent a smaller percentage of the UPS load, installing power factor correction between the UPS and the load, increasing UPS size (and that of any standby generation capacity) and specifying a UPS with leading power factor capabilities.

A popular approach to reduce the effect of leading power factors on a UPS installation is to use an active harmonic filter with power factor correction on the UPS output. This presents the UPS with a more acceptable load, but results in higher capital and installation costs, lower efficiency and a greater footprint.

Familiar territory for UPS manufacturers. Although many aspects of harmonics must be considered when specifying a UPS system, reassurance can be gained from the fact that this is familiar territory for UPS manufacturers such as Riello UPS. End users and their professional advisers can certainly be confident that this specialized aspect of UPS application will be thoroughly addressed during the modern consultative sales and specification process.

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Uninterruptible Power Supply Extended Runtime Options

From an entry-level desktop or wall-mounted unit to an 80kVA n+1 installation supporting a major data centre, batteries are at the heart of every UPS (uninterruptible power supply) system. They provide the required runtime and a source of dc supply to the inverter in the event of a mains power failure; when more runtime is needed, it can be extended by adding extra battery packs or battery extension packs.

For a given UPS battery installation the following factors ensure that, when needed, a battery will give its rated runtime: correct operation (following the UPS manufacturer's instructions), a suitable operating environment (especially ambient temperature), regular battery maintenance and timely battery replacement.

Ideally, a UPS battery will be sized to provide a specified runtime at a specific load, with the runtime being sufficient to do the following: keep loads running, allow start-up of standby generators (automatic and manual if necessary) and allow sufficient time for completion of automatic server shutdown routines.

Battery runtime and orderly system shutdown. Whatever the rated battery runtime, there should be sufficient duration for protected systems to be shutdown in an orderly manner using appropriate proprietary software such as Riello UPS's PowerShield.

To ensure a required battery runtime, battery size is dictated by load size (measured in kW) and the amount of back-up time required in the event of a mains failure. Most UPS are designed to offer up to ten minutes runtime - enough to cover the most common power interruptions and safely shutdown non-critical loads.

Determining required battery runtime. The required UPS battery runtime, even the decision to specify battery extension packs, will be determined by factors including the following: site power history and existing UPS equipment, availability of a maintained standby generator on site, length of time required for load-shedding and orderly system shutdown, environmental aspects (space, temperature and humidity) and overall cost of long battery runtime versus a standby generator or fuel cell.

Correct operation, maintenance and battery replacement can ensure that a given UPS battery installation performs to the best of its ability. From the smallest UPS (typically used for power protection of small to medium sized file servers, PBX systems and point-of-sale or back-office systems), to the largest industrial series power protection units, UPS battery runtime can be extended by simply adding more batteries.

Battery extension packs for extended runtime. At their simplest, plug-in UPS battery extension packs can extend the shortest (typically ten minutes) internal battery runtime to an hour or more. On larger uninterruptible power supplies, where an inverter is rated for continuous operation, the UPS can be used to support large loads for long runtimes up to and exceeding several hours. This is normally achieved with battery extension packs that connect to the rear panel connector on the UPS (and/or a generator) in series, a configuration also referred to as 'daisy chaining'.

Designed to match the UPS aesthetically. UPS up to around 30kVA have capacity for internal battery sets. Where this is not the case, or where additional power protection runtime is required, external battery extension cabinets or rackmount battery trays are used; as far as is reasonably practical, these are designed to match the UPS aesthetically.

An alternative is to use clad or unclad battery stands; this is more common for large UPS battery sets due to their size and weight. They can also provide better access for testing.

Few line-interactive UPS below 2kVA support extension packs. In terms of extended runtimes, few line-interactive UPS below 2kVA have the capability for external battery extension packs. Some 2kVA UPS, have a battery extension pack connector and can be used to support loads (without oversizing) for up to several hours. Others don't, and must be oversized for the load at the UPS system design stage if longer runtime is required.

Major UPS manufacturers bring you a wealth of experience. Whether the answer to runtime requirements lies in UPS oversizing or the specification of UPS battery extension packs, one thing is certain. It is always best to deal with manufacturers of UPS equipment, such as Riello UPS, who have a wealth of experience as well as the range of battery extension products that can help users get the maximum battery runtime out of their UPS protection.

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Uninterruptible Power Supplies Remote Monitoring

Business has never been more reliant on a continuous supply of electricity - and never better served than by modern UPS manufacturers. Whether it's an easily portable desktop uninterruptible power supply or a powerful parallel-redundant installation backed up by standby power sources, every conceivable power protection challenge can be overcome.

Capability is meaningless without monitoring. The modern UPS is a sophisticated microprocessor-controlled system, capable of providing a range of alarm notifications and real-time monitoring information at local, network and remote site locations. But this capability is meaningless if it is not monitored. An unheard alarm may as well be no alarm at all, and failure to act could reduce system resilience and possibly even render it useless.

The advent of Html capability in the software arena has enabled modern UPS manufacturers to integrate sophisticated onsite and remote monitoring capability with their hardware. In fact, modern systems often enable remote 24/7 monitoring (either by the client or at the manufacturer's facility) of all critical UPS, generator, air-conditioning and fire suppression equipment. As well as alerting system managers to problems as they arise, integration of monitoring functions into existing infrastructures gives businesses valuable early warning of impending power and other equipment failures that actively increases profitable uptime.

Most UPS are available with software for remote monitoring. As well as managing power outages, certain UPS will regulate the electrical supply to prevent damage from power problems or voltage fluctuations. Most are available with software packages that monitor mains voltage, UPS load and battery charge as standard, as well as proprietary monitoring and control software, which allows remote interrogation of UPS logs and operating parameters to help diagnose alarms and faults. When instructed to do so, UPS software can also remotely perform automated and controlled shutdown of valuable equipment - ensuring hardware protection while freeing personnel for other tasks during power continuity incidents.

With suitably reassuring proprietary names, remote monitoring products such as the Riello UPS PowerNetGuard and TeleNetguard products complement UPS installations to ensure continuity for large and small businesses. Solutions range from a simple USB connection into a small PC network, to the most elaborate add-ons for cross platform communication and external management over the Internet.

Measurable financial benefits. As well as integration into the network management system, monitoring software allows operators to supervise the UPS remotely for power fluctuations and events. Power management initiatives can also be implemented using network cards and proxy agents (embedded web server, SNMP compatibility) to provide a range of remote management functions - including configuration of selected shutdowns and powering equipment and electrical points on or off.

There are measurable financial benefits too: by monitoring and implementing responses remotely, clients can often avoid the cost of sending an engineer to investigate every minor incident - an ideal solution for cost-conscious data centre and IT managers.

Monitoring the status of consumables. Remote monitoring makes clear financial sense - and provides priceless peace of mind. As well as dealing with emergencies, it's also a vital part of a power protection system's ongoing maintenance management. For all their reliability and refinement, UPS, generators and other power protection devices still rely on regular maintenance. In particular, consumables such as batteries, fans and capacitors need to be routinely checked, tested and replaced if power protection is to perform reliably. And of course, the UPS itself, as well as generators and other standby power sources, must be tested and monitored to ensure power continuity if there is a genuine power outage.

The software side of UPS is crucial. Finally, there's the software aspect of UPS. Though one of the least problematic in terms of maintenance, it is probably one of the most crucial in terms of monitoring and measuring the effectiveness of the system itself. Continued software reliability underpins the whole integrity of any remote monitoring system - and possibly a whole network. Optimum software performance can be ensured with regular updates and sound basic housekeeping - not forgetting those vital shutdown settings, tailored to a business's individual requirements, which are so important for preserving the life and vitality of key hardware.

As with all aspects of UPS specification, installation and maintenance, the choice of remote monitoring solutions (and its seamless integration with new and existing infrastructure) will be guided by a reputable UPS supplier. Correctly specified, installed and used, remote monitoring, it seems, really can make the difference between sleepless nights and ultimate peace of mind for infrastructure managers.

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Online Uninterruptible Power Supplies

Ensuring uninterrupted power is a vital part of any organisation's business continuity planning and can be achieved with the correct deployment of a suitable uninterruptible power supply (UPS). Different types of UPS can be used as stand-alone solutions or in conjunction with one another other. The three main static UPS topologies are as follows: Online ('On-line') or Double Conversion VFI (Voltage and Frequency Independent), Line Interactive VI (Voltage Independent) and Offline ('Off-line') or Passive Standby.

So what are the main characteristics of an Online UPS? The only UPS for completely break-free supply An online uninterruptible power supply (UPS) maintains power voltage and frequency variations within prescribed limits and is independent of any fluctuation in supply. It's not just complete power failure that can affect a modern power-hungry business. The online UPS also conditions mains power to counter the potentially damaging consequences of sags, surges and other everyday power problems.

Because of this combined power protection and power conditioning capability, the online UPS is the preferred choice for critical data and voice processing systems and remote mobile telecommunication sites where there may be a high risk of damage from local lightning strikes and high-energy transients. Furthermore, an online UPS can also act as a frequency converter providing 50/60Hz or 60/50Hz. There are also solutions for 400Hz applications.

Of the three main UPS topologies, the online uninterruptible power supply is the only one that can provide completely break-free protection if the mains supply should fail. And, in the event of the UPS developing a fault or suffering an overload, the online UPS is designed to deliver safe failure to mains. This is achieved through an automatic system bypass.

Typical online UPS applications. Online UPS from manufacturers such as Riello UPS are typically used for specialist operations. They can be easily modified using a range of accessories and 'small batch' production techniques. Typical applications for the online uninterruptible power supply include the following: Rail equipment requiring extended runtimes, Remote telecom sites, Industrial applications requiring specialised air filters, Water treatment works requiring UPS with raised plinths and high ingress protection, Scientific sites at altitude or in tropical areas, Military applications requiring ruggedised assemblies, Remote sites where only renewable energy sources are available and Medical applications requiring isolated supply.

Online UPS are particularly suitable when it's necessary to expand large-scale Power over Ethernet (PoE) implementations, requiring an upgrade to the current level of UPS protection. Maybe the existing uninterruptible power supply is no longer large enough to power the entire infrastructure or, as in the case of a telecom application with existing line interactive UPS installation, perhaps the available runtime duration is not long enough. When business continuity planning has reached this stage, it may be time to upgrade to an online UPS for maximum power protection.

Sizing an online UPS for current and future needs. Regardless of the application, correct sizing is essential to avoid over- or under-specification that wastes resources or leaves parts of the network vulnerable. Then, once the current load requirement has been correctly established, it is prudent to include an allowance for future expansion. The most common approach is to allow for 25% load expansion within five years. For online UPS (above 10kVA), additional capacity, along with higher operating resilience, can be achieved by adding more modules into an existing system using a parallel architecture.

Whatever the requirements of a business's power continuity plan, and whatever the eventual uninterruptible power supply solution, the first step should always involve seeking the advice of a reputable UPS manufacturer with a proven track record in power protection. Whether for an online solution or one of the other UPS topologies, a modern consultative UPS specification process ensures that uninterrupted power for mission critical facilities are easy to achieve.

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Fire Alarms Are a Commercial Necessity

In the early days of the American textile mills, fires were fought using a sprinkler system made of perforated pipes. This system was not automated and had to be turned on manually. Around the time of the Civil War, men started trying to find better ways to protect factory workers from fire. In 1872, Philip W. Pratt patented the first automatic sprinkler. It was better, but needed improvement. Therefore, in 1874, Henry S. Parmalee came up with a system that used a practical, automatic sprinkler head and installed it in his own piano factory.

At this point in time, the only people who were installing sprinkler systems were those with commercial interests. They discovered that by installing a sprinkler their insurance company would give them discounted rates. Since they were able to recoup the cost of the system by using these discounts, it made sense to these savvy businessmen to have one. In the 1940s, though, this changed when building codes were written making it mandatory to have sprinkler systems in other public buildings, including schools, hospitals, and hotels.

Commercial Sprinkler Systems Save Lives

Over the years, fire alarm systems have become mandatory in all public places where more than 100 people can congregate and in all buildings which aren't located with 75 feet of a fire station or a fire plug. Commercial fire alarms are now mandatory all over the country for schools, large churches, shopping malls, hospitals, theaters, hotels, and other large facilities. Facilities which warehouse hazardous materials are also required to have a fire alarm.

It's the policy of most insurance companies that if no fire system is installed, no insurance coverage will be issued. In this way insurance companies protect themselves from insuring risky ventures. The insurance company refuses to take on the responsibility for compensating negligent business owners for property loss, building damage, and human casualties. Businesses that must have fire protection systems now include anywhere people can stay over night, such as motels, bed and breakfasts, and resorts.

The new ESFR sprinkler system is at the cutting edge of sprinkler technology. It was designed to keep fires contained so that they don't spread. Sprinklers are pre-programmed to come on when they sense a certain heat level. Then, only the sprinklers which receive signals will go on to fight the fire. Sprinklers that aren't in the affected area remain off. In this way, the water pressure going to the active heads will be greater and uncompromised.

There are sprinkler systems available that are specially-designed for sensitive areas of a building which absolutely can't come in contact with water unless an emergency arises. These sprinkler systems are called "dry systems". In these areas, if a fire alarm goes off, the system does a little investigating to see if there really is a need for water. By employing smoke and heat detector technology, the sensors can make sure the water really needs to come on and destroy critical items in the area before the sprinkler is actually activated.

As our society has realized the devastation of fires and decided to take aggressive measures towards fighting them, many lives are being saved. Thank goodness we no longer have the terrible sweatshop fires that killed hundreds. In fact, workplace deaths have declined to almost nothing. What do you think Henry S. Parmalee would think if he could see us now?

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The Monumental Task Of Starting Over In Life And Career

Starting a new chapter in ones life or career can be monumental task, but there is a progression that must take place. Starting over often brings to mind, as a young businessman my first restaurant which was located next to a set of busy railroad tracks. I can remember in the evening when the chaos of the night had subsided, I often would go outside to regroup and watch the passing trains and observe the various origination of each passing car. As I observed it reminded me of where my personal journey has taken me. On this particular evening a large freight train was sitting Idle on the tracks. I recall when it began to move what an enormous struggle it was for the train to gain enough momentum to continue on its path.

The thing that always caught my attention was that distinctive sound the train would make when it began to move. I would equate that unique sound as what I would now define as my personal, spiritual and emotional growing pains. When I came to understand that our thoughts effect our emotions that cause our actions which causes our results I began to discover the mistakes I made that brought me here. At those lowest moment that's when we come to a cross road in our mind to make the right mental choices. In my situation I discovered I needed to change what I called "Stinking Thinking" and began to look at my problems as growing pains in life's journey. A friend of mine told me you only have a problem when there is no solution. But how do we begin to get that endless energy, boundless strength and vibrant excitement for life?

For me it was returning to what I'll call my personal Greek Tragedy which was extremely pain full to relive. But you must always go back to the root of something, it is there healing will begin. The root is usually tracked to the paradigms or old habits that have been formed by our circumstances, environment and people in our lives growing up. For me it was fear and unforgiveness. And that is a cancer that will destroy ones life! A great motivational speaker by the name of Bob Proctor uses the illustration of a farmer who has corn in his right hand and night shade which is poison in his left hand, when both are planted the earth does its job and they both begin to grow. The earth does not care if one is corn and the other is poison, it's the same way your mind works it's not concerned what you think it just produces the fruit of a thought. Here are the keys that breathed new life into me.

1-Regardless of what you went through you must make up your mind you are going to overcome it.

2-Admit that you are living with the root of unforgiveness and bitterness in your heart.

3-Forgive so you can begin to heal.

4-Admit that it is wrong and damaging to you.

5-Admit your own mistakes.

6-Do not talk your bitterness to others.

7-Get surrounded with good influences.

8-Soak your soul with happy music.

9-Plan new projects in your future.

10-Think ahead and not backwards.

11-Discuss your dreams and plans with others who believe in your success.

12-Study winners.

13-Never allow the root of bitterness to rob you of success and joy you can experience.

Remember "What You Fail To Master In Your Life Will Eventually Master You"

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Emergency Planning For Small Businesses

How prepared are you for some natural or man-made disaster? Now that we are well into the 2008 tornado season here in the U.S., that's a question many small business owners should be asking themselves. Most people don't have the first clue as to how to prepare their business for a disaster of any size, but have no fear. By taking the kinds of hazard that might be faced one at a time, we'll show you how to plan for a disaster and get your company up and running again as quickly as possible.

An Overview of Disaster

Let's face it, as insulated as we may feel from vagaries and dangers of the natural world, they are still out there and occasionally they drop in, as if to remind us that there is something bigger and badder than we are lurking out there and to let us know that we had better watch our step. Our friends at FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency have listed the most common types of disasters and how you ought to prepare for them.

Fire

Fire is the most common of all the hazards. Every year fires cause thousands of deaths and injuries and billions of dollars in property damage. Knowledge is key so make sure your people know the fire procedures. Some other things you should consider include:

Meet with the local Fire Department to discuss the community's fire response capabilities and your operations, especially any processes or materials that could either cause or fuel a fire, or contaminate the environment in a fire.Have your facility inspected and make sure you are up-to-date on fire codes and regulations.Ask your insurance company for fire prevention and protection tips.Educate your employees on how to prevent fires in the workplace, how to contain a fire, how to evacuate the facility and where to report a fire.Keep evacuation routes including stairways and doorways clear of debris.Assign fire wardens for each area to monitor shutdown and evacuation procedures.Establish procedures for the safe handling and storage of flammables and to prevent combustible materials, including smoking materials, from accumulating.Keep your equipment operating safely through preventative maintenance.Place fire extinguishers where appropriate and train your employees to use them.Install and maintain smoke detectors and consider installing a fire alarm that called the fire department automatically.Consider installing a sprinkler system, fire hoses and fire-resistant walls and doors.Identify and mark all utility shutoffs so that electrical power, gas or water can be shut off quickly by fire wardens or responding personnel.Determine the level of response your facility will take if a fire occurs.

Hazardous Materials Incidents

Hazardous materials are substances that are either flammable or combustible, explosive, toxic, noxious, corrosive, oxidizable, an irritant or radioactive. They have to be properly labeled, handled, stored, produced and disposed of. All of which is laid down in the Federal regulations that apply to your company and the materials you are using. Consider the following:

Obtain material safety data sheets (MSDS) for all hazardous materials at your location.Get help from your local fire department in developing response procedures.Train employees to properly handle and store hazardous materials and to recognize and report spills and releases.Develop a hazardous material response plan including:Notification of management, employees and emergency responders.Evacuation procedures.Training and organization for an emergency response team to confine and control hazardous material spills according to regulations.

Identify nearby facilities that use hazardous materials and how an incident at one of them could affect your facility.Identify ways hazardous materials could be transported near your company and how an accident nearby could affect your operations.

Floods and Flash floods

Floods are the most common and widespread of all natural disasters. Most communities in the United States can experience some degree of flooding after spring rains, heavy thunderstorms or winter snow thaws. Most floods develop slowly over a period of days. Flash floods, however, are like walls of water that develop in a matter of minutes. Flash floods can be caused by intense storms or dam failure. Some things you can do to prepare include:

Determine your risk. Are you in a location that floods?Review the community's emergency plan to determine evacuation routes and where to find higher ground.Develop a warning and evacuation procedure for your company.Inspect your facility for areas that are subject to flooding and identify records and equipment that can be moved to a higher area.Obtain a NOAA Weather Radio with a warning alarm and battery backup and use it to listen for flood watches and warnings.Flood Watch. Flooding is possible. Stay tuned to NOAA radio. Be prepared to evacuate. Tune to local radio and television stations for additional information.Flood Warning. Flooding is already occurring or will occur soon. Take precautions at once. Be prepared to go to higher ground. If advised, evacuate immediately.

Obtain flood insurance. Regular property and casualty insurance does not cover flooding.Consider flood-proofing your facility.Participate in community flood control projects.Make advance plans to move records and equipment in case of flood.

Hurricanes

Hurricanes are severe tropical storms with sustained winds of 74 miles per hour or greater. Hurricane winds can reach 160 miles per hour and extend inland for hundreds of miles. Hurricanes bring torrential rains and a storm surge of ocean water that crashes into land as the storm approaches. Hurricanes also spawn tornadoes. Hurricane advisories are issued by the National Weather Service as soon as a hurricane appears to be a threat. The hurricane season lasts from June through November. Here are some things to prepare:

Obtain your local evacuation plans from the emergency management office in your community.Develop comprehensive shutdown procedures for your facility, warning and evacuation plans, and communication plans for you and your employees.Obtain a NOAA Weather Radio with a warning alarm and battery backup and use it to listen for hurricane watches and warnings.Hurricane Watch. A hurricane is possible within 24 to 36 hours. Stay tuned for additional advisories. Tune to local radio and television stations for additional information. An evacuation may be necessary.Hurricane Warning. A hurricane will hit land within 24 hours. Take precautions at once. If advised, evacuate immediately.

Make plans to protect outside equipment and structures and to protect windows. Permanent storm shutters are best, but covering your windows with 5/8" marine plywood is a second option.Consider whether you need the following backup systems:Portable pumps to remove flood water.Alternate power sources such as generators or gasoline-powered pumps.Battery-powered emergency lighting.

Be prepared to move records, computers and other items to a safe location within your facility or to a different, secured location.

Tornadoes

Tornadoes are incredibly violent local storms that extend to the ground with whirling winds that can reach 300 mph. Spawned from powerful thunderstorms; tornadoes can uproot trees and buildings and turn harmless objects into deadly missiles in a matter of seconds. Damage paths can be in excess of one mile wide and 50 miles long. Tornadoes can occur in any state but occur more frequently in the Midwest, Southeast and Southwest. They occur with little or no warning. Consider the following when planning for tornadoes:

Find out about your local tornado warning system from your local emergency management office.Obtain a NOAA Weather Radio with a warning alarm and battery backup and use it to listen for tornado watches and warnings.Tornado Watch. Tornadoes are likely. Be ready to take shelter. Stay tuned to radio and television stations for additional information.Tornado Warning. A tornado has been sighted in the area or is indicated by radar. Take shelter immediately.

Develop a way to inform employees when tornado warnings are posted.Have a structural engineer or architect help you designate shelter areas in your facility. Your local emergency management office or the National Weather Service office can help with this. Consider the following:Healthy adults require about six square feet of space each; patients need more.The best protection in a tornado is usually an underground area. Alternatives include:Small interior rooms on the lowest floor and without windowsHallways on the lowest floor away from doors and windowsRooms constructed with reinforced concrete, brick or block with no windows and a heavy concrete floor or roof system overheadProtected areas away from doors and windows

Auditoriums, cafeterias and gymnasiums with flat, wide-span roofs are not considered safe.

Train your employees in what to do in case there is a tornado both before and after they get to the shelter.

Severe Winter Storms

Severe winter storms bring heavy snow, ice, strong winds and freezing rain. Winter storms can prevent employees and customers from reaching or safely leaving your facility, leading to a temporary shutdown until the roads can be cleared. Heavy snow and ice can also cause structural damage and power outages. Here are some things you can do to prepare:

Obtain a NOAA Weather Radio with a warning alarm and battery backup and use it to listen for the following weather information:Winter Storm Watch. Severe winter weather is possible.Winter Storm Warning. Severe winter weather is expected.Blizzard Warning. Severe winter weather with sustained winds of at least 35 mph is expected.Traveler's Advisory. Severe winter conditions may make driving difficult or dangerous.

Develop procedures to shutdown your facility and release your employees early.Collect and store food, water, blankets, battery-powered radios with extra batteries and other emergency supplies for stranded employees and customers.Install a backup power source for all critical operations.Arrange for snow and ice removal.

Earthquakes

Earthquakes can seriously damage buildings and their contents; disrupt gas, electric and telephone services; and trigger landslides, avalanches, flash floods, fires and huge ocean waves called tsunamis. Aftershocks can occur for weeks following an earthquake.

In many buildings, the greatest danger to people in an earthquake is when equipment and non-structural elements such as ceilings, partitions, windows and lighting fixtures shake loose. Earthquakes occur most frequently west of the Rocky Mountains, although historically the most violent earthquakes have occurred in the central United States. Earthquakes occur suddenly and without warning. Some things you can do to prepare for the next "Big One" include:

Obtain recent and historical seismic information for your area.Discussing with a structural engineer thing you can do to strengthen your building, including:Adding steel bracing to frames.Adding sheer walls to frames.Strengthening columns and building foundations.Replacing unreinforced brick filler walls.

Follow safety codes with any new construction or major renovation.Inspect, assess and develop measures to prevent damage to non-structural systems such as air conditioning, communications and pollution control systems.Move large and heavy objects to lower shelves or the floor. Hang heavy items away from where people work.Secure shelves, filing cabinets, tall furniture, desktop equipment, computers, printers, copiers and light fixtures.Secure fixed equipment and heavy machinery to the floor. Larger equipment can be placed on casters and attached to tethers which attach to the wall.Add bracing to suspended ceilings, if necessary.Install safety glass where appropriate.Secure large utility and process piping.Maintain copies of the facility design drawings so that its post-quake safety can be assessed.Review and update the handling and storing of hazardous materials.Obtain earthquake insurance and discuss damage mitigation with your insurance company.Conduct earthquake drills and educate all personnel on earthquake safety and procedures.

Technological Emergencies

Technological emergencies include any interruption or loss of a utility service, power source, life support system, information system or equipment needed to keep the business in operation. Such emergencies can be easily planned for:

Identify all critical operations, including:Utilities including electric power, gas, water, hydraulics, compressed air, municipal and internal sewer systems, wastewater treatment servicesSecurity and alarm systems, elevators, lighting, life support systems, heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems, electrical distribution system.Manufacturing equipment, pollution control equipmentCommunication systems, both data and voice computer networksTransportation systems including air, highway, railroad and waterway

Determine the impact of service disruption.Ensure that key safety and maintenance personnel are thoroughly familiar with all building systems.Establish procedures for restoring systems. Determine need for backup systems.Establish preventive maintenance schedules for all systems and equipment.

The Bottom Line

What it all comes down to is preparedness. By the time the water is around your ankles, it is too late. A small expenditure now will ensure that you can stay in business later so consider it an investment. If you do nothing else, investing in the following items will put you well on the road to being prepared for anything.

A NOAA Weather Radio (www.weatherradiostore.com).A fire inspection and a risk assessment for the other hazards mentioned above.Specialty Insurance (flood or earthquake).Data back-ups and off-site file and data storage.Uninterruptible power supplies for critical systems.Preventative maintenance for all equipment.Flashlights, batteries and fire extinguishers.

For more information on disaster preparedness, visit www.fema.gov

branding news

Emergency Notification And What You Need To Know

Emergency notification is a critical part of any organization's emergency planning. In this day and age, having a dedicated communications method to contact all of your organization's members is CRITICAL to being able to deal with unexpected circumstances such as a natural disaster or other emergency. When an incident occurs, you need to be able to respond and deal with it immediately - whether your organization is a multinational corporation, university, government agency, or small business. The members of your organization are what matter the most. Taking care of them in a time of crisis is the most pressing concern that the head of that organization has.

With an effective emergency notification system in place, you can sleep well at night knowing that if an unexpected crisis occurs, you will be able to deal with it quickly and efficiently. A reliable, tested emergency notification system is crucial to being able to, for example, notify your entire management team of the situation status, and give ongoing updates as the incident plays out. At the same time, you need to be able to locate employees and receive word back from them to confirm their location and their safety, or whether they need assistance. Emergency notification is essential for any organization of any size that wants to be prepared for unexpected critical events.

--Key Factors to Look for in an Effective Emergency Notification System--

A successful emergency notification system depends on being able to contact people no matter where they are. That means that the system cannot depend solely on one communication modality, such as email. In the event of an emergency, it is certainly not guaranteed that a person will be sitting in front of their computer. Emergency notification depends upon sending out messages across multiple modalities-i.e. email, AND cell phone, home phone, work phone, pager, text message, instant message, BlackBerry PIN message-so that no matter where they are, they are able to get word of a recent event.

Another important feature of any emergency notification system is the ability for the message sender (a manager or president, for example) to get word back from their constituents after sending out their initial message. In the event of an emergency, a manager needs to be able to send a message saying, "There is a power outage on the 12th floor. Please respond to this message by pressing 1 if you are OK, by pressing 2 if you need assistance, and by pressing 3 if you are OK but you are with someone else who needs assistance." That way, you guarantee your ability to have an accurate head count immediately following any unexpected event, and you are able to respond accordingly to those who need help.

Customer service is another very important factor to consider when choosing emergency notification and response services-arguably the most important! The ability to call up your emergency notification provider and have questions answered and a problem solved quickly and effectively is almost too valuable to put a price on. Having any questions about your system explained in an understandable way is crucial to being able to put it to good use in a time of crisis.

When looking into emergency notification, an organization definitely must consider the simplicity and ease of use of the system. It must be reliable and robust, and capable of sending out messages across multiple modalities, and at the same time be simple enough so that any manager or employee who needs to send out an urgent message can do so without any problems.

Franchising

Embracing Business Crisis

"Without the strength to endure the crisis, one will not see the opportunity within. It is within the process of endurance that opportunity reveals itself."
Chin-Ning Chu

Crisis is often an entry point; an opportunity to get real, tell the truth about our selves and our business. Definition of Crisis -The moment in which we know without a doubt that if we don't make changes with ourselves and in our business we will lose. Unfortunately, at this point we usually have already lost quite a bit, which is what makes it a crisis!

Understandably no one hopes for a crisis. Certainly this applies to our business or organization. Most of us as leaders would probably say one of our primary responsibilities is to prevent a crisis from ever occurring.

However, I have found that powerful lessons for all of us can be found in the middle of a business crisis. It isn't uncommon for a leader to say, "Our staff has never pulled together more than when we were facing a crisis." Possibly it's the very real prospect of going out of business, facing a public relations catastrophe or even a natural disaster that causes people to unite.

And although this may not seem surprising, it does beg the question, "why?" Why do people set aside their usual disagreements and petty politics in the midst of a crisis?

I found one possible answer while contemplating teams and organizations that live in a perpetual state of daily crisis. Consider firefighters or soldiers in the midst of war.

At those moments, these are certainly some of the least political and divisive teams that you'll find. For them, disagreement about budgets and lines of responsibility are ludicrous, or even worse, deadly. And that's the point. When the stakes are clear and high, you know ...life or death. Well-intentioned people can't help but focus on the prevailing task at hand. Which is exactly what happens to businesses in crisis: they get focused around a compelling, over-arching goal. They put aside their egos and differences for the common good of the team or business.

We innately know this about ourselves and people which is why I personally believe some businesses create an ongoing atmosphere of chaos or crisis. Consider that there is another way, another option for focusing on the important and the common good. A way to stop avoiding the issue(s) and address what is not being said.

It starts with clear purposeful reasons to be in business, to do the job and to get the result. As the leader, it is your job to make sure your people have these:

• A Vision

• A Business purpose

• Goals

• Key measures for success in their own roles

• Individual plans for growth and development

"The Chinese use two brush strokes to write the word 'crisis'. One brush stroke stands for danger; the other for opportunity. In a crisis, be aware of the danger-but recognize the opportunity." John F. Kennedy

customer services

The Backup Crisis

I still see a lot of clients using manual backups to backup important files daily, picking and choosing what files to backup in the event of a disaster. Every time there is a problem and they need to recover data they always come up short. Either someone forgot to do the backup that day, they forgot to update the backup to include an important directory, or they become overwhelmed with the restore process as the underlying system was not properly backed up.

There are no real savings by using manual backups as opposed to using complete backups to tape or disk. The labor and costs involved in recovering from a single failure generally will net a break even with the correct backup equipment. You can not easily put a ticket price on loss data.

Complete automated backups are also considerably simpler to perform and even easier to recover from. You also minimize the risk of not backing up important files.

While I am on the topic of backups, I am amazed at how often clients will delay bringing in help when their backup does fail to backup for the day. Either they do not monitor and confirm successful backups daily, or they keep waiting for weeks hoping that it will just start backing up properly. A failed backup is likely useless in the event of a disaster. Thus increasing the amount of data lost due to a failure. It is disappointing to get a call to help a client recover data only to find the backup stopped working 3 weeks or, or sometimes even 8 months ago. Every backup strategy requests daily confirmation of its success and failure and on going effort to ensure successful backups.

One of the most common problem we find is that most clients never test their backups. In an event of a failure, frequently we find their "successful" backup is incomplete or unavailable when you actually need it. In an ideal world, every company would have duplicate hardware to be able to drill the recovery process on separate hardware. Unfortunately it is not common to see this properly implemented and documented.

Another common problem we find is how often clients clean their tape drives. A lot of clients believe a tape drive should be cleaned once a year or never. Proper cleaning is very important and will often be the source of failed backups and tapes that just don't recover when you need them to. Typically manufacturers recommend cleaning a tape drive every month or two depending on how many hours in service it has. Improper cleaning can and usually is a common cause of data loss.

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