Data breaches are a fact of
life with the advance of Wi-Fi, 3G, and
remote computing as it is done in today’s
flexible business environment.
Data breaches and network
intrusions occur because the personal
information compromised includes data
elements useful to identity thieves, such as
Social Security numbers, account numbers,
and driver's license numbers. Some breaches
do not expose such sensitive information;
however, they still expose individuals to
identity theft and business to a compromise
of their electronic assets and that must be
disclosed under Sarbanes-Oxley and various
state laws Read On.... Order Now $299 ....
The news is full of disasters and
it is clear that they will continue to occur, be
they tornados, hurricanes, fires, floods, or
earthquakes. The risk that many enterprises
face is that they are not ready with complete
Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Plans.
Janco and the IT Productivity
Center have developed a short list of things that
enterprises of all sizes can implemented with little
cost that could mitigate extensive losses and
provide for safety of it employees. Those
steps are:
Validate
that police and other first responders can
contact the right people in your business -
Research the Reverse 911 program for your area
and register your business cell phones, voice
over IP numbers or pagers. In an
emergency situation, Reverse 911 enables
emergency officials to send out an
automated call to everyone registered in a
specific area with important
information.
Program
emergency numbers into business cell phones
- Save emergency phone numbers for local police
and fire departments into your cell phones.
Create a
business phone tree - Each enterprise
facility should have a plan for contacting
employees during emergencies through a
designated phone tree. Designated staff should
have copies of the phone tree and be trained on
who they should call. Management should review
and update the phone tree quarterly and conduct
regular training sessions. Management should
also have back-up copies of employee business
mobile and personal phone numbers and their
emergency contacts. This information should be
regularly updated.
Register
your employee's business cell phone number -
Individual employees should make sure family;
friends and co-workers have their business
mobile or BlackBerry numbers. Each person's
business cell phone number should registered
with a company like WhitePages.com. This will
give colleagues and family members the ability
to quickly find the information should they not
have it on hand.
Enable
texting on Mobile Devices - Sometimes cell
phone signals can become congested during
emergencies, and it can be difficult to make or
receive calls. Short text messages might be
easier to get through.
Plus, texting helps to conserve battery power.
Have
emergency back-pack kits accessible -
Companies should organize and maintain emergency
back-pack kits in several places. There should
be designated staff responsible for grabbing
these in the event of an emergency. Make sure it
contains a company phone tree, key contact phone
numbers, minimum of provisions for at least
three days. Include fresh water, non-perishable
food, a manual can opener, blankets, extra
clothing, a first-aid kit, matches, a
flashlight, a battery-operated radio and extra
batteries. Test or replace the batteries at
least once a year, especially for smoke alarms.
Create
back-up copies of documents, data files, and
software - At a secondary location, keep
back-up copies of your important enterprise
records and financial statements. Be sure to
store important original paperwork in a safe and
secure location. This way, you can grab it all
quickly in the event of an emergency.
Have cash
available - Set aside an emergency fund of
cash or traveler's checks or both. Keep them in
a safe, accessible spot in case of the need for
evacuation. Banks and ATMs are often
inaccessible during catastrophes.
After the
disaster have employees register with the
American Red Cross - Register with the Red
Cross's Safe and Well Web site. If you have been
affected by a disaster, this Web site provides a
way for you to register yourself as "safe and
well."
It
is a struggle for a individual get to be a CIO or
CTO, but once they are there success is measured by
how they to fit into the executive management team
and the value they provide. Janco has found
that successful CIOs and CTOs meet four key
objectives.
Successful CIOs and CTOs are trusted
contributors to the enterprise's executive
thinking - CIOs and
CTOs who perform well establish a strong
connection with executive management and are key
providers of insights to the executive team
about new business opportunities, ways to speed
up product introduction, or other potential
technology-enabled business changes.
Successful CIOs and CTOs propose solutions to
solve business problems - CIOs and
CTOs that are in tune with business unit issues
surface opportunities and direct their staff to
solve business problems, like paper-intensive
sales lead handling or cumbersome manufacturing
processes.
Successful CIOs and CTOs hire, retain, and
develop a loyal staff - Without a
highly productive staff nothing will happen.
High job satisfaction and very low turnover in
IT is a common metric that many use. Career and
employee development is a priority of the CIO
who makes the time for his or her team.
Successful CIOs and CTOs take time to learn and
test ideas - CIOs
and CTOs should be the thought leaders in their
firms about the business uses of technology and
the primary guide of IT strategic thinking. CIOs
and CTOs who pause to learn from others and
reflect will find that new ideas and a
refreshed perspective keep the job fresh and
their organizations
energized.
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