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3,000 life-saving radios go unused in Chicago
Motorola supplies city with sophisticated emergency radios, but aging radio towers can not take heavy digital equipment, so emergency communication upgrades must wait
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Business continuity not receiving necessary support
Some things you know you have to do — but you just don’t do them (excercise, eat helathy food, etc.); it is the same with business contuity management: Companies know they should do it, but many do not
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H.R. 1 contains important business-continuity stipulations
H.R. 1, the “Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007” which President Bush has signed into law has an important section on private sector preparedness
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Phoenix acquires ICM, releases upbeat management statement
Phoenix expands by acquiring ICM Computer Group — and this following the earlier acquisitions of Trend (in 2004), NDR (in 2005), and Servo (in 2006); company signs £12 million contract with an unnamed “top-ten” London bank
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FCC orders creation of public safety network in 700 MHz band
It has taken some time, but finally the FCC says a portion of the soon-to-be-auctioned-off 700 MHz spectrum will be used for public safety; law enforcement, first responders, industry (largely) welcome decision
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Sydney installs emergency loudspeakers
Providing citizens with updated information during emergencies is a crucial aspect of preparedness; some cities build elaborate systems which “push” information into citizens’ PDAs, laptops, and cellular phones; Sydney installs old-fashioned loudspeakers
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Zero-day vulnerabilities are the top security concern
Most IT managers say that zero-day vulnerabilities are their main concern; 29 percent of organizations deployed critical updates within two hours during 2007 compared to just 14 percent in 2006
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Report of a major 2005 accident offers business continuity insights
The Buncefield oil depot accident of December 2005 provides an example of the impact major accidents can have on business continuity
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Total insured loss for summer U.K. floods estimates at up to £3.25 billion
Massive June and July floods in the U.K. may coast insurers between £2.25 billion and £3.25 billion in total
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Floods show gap between those who plan for disaster and those who do not
The massive floods in the U.K. offer vivid examples of the difference between planning and lack of planning by companies for disasters; companies which could invoke a disaster recovery plan fared much better
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FCC puts 700 MHz item on 31 July
Since 9/11 there have been calls for making part of the 700 MHz spectrum a dedicated public-safety band; the FCC is inching toward a ruling on the issue
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Terror insurance bill -- with lower trigger -- clears House subcommittee
Threshold triggering federal reinsurance coverage for terrorism damage would be dramatically reduced: The bill’s original plan was to lower program’s trigger to $50 million from its current $100 million level; subcommittee’s measure would lower it to $5 million
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Security Standard Conference to explore effects of 9/11 on business
Second annual Security Standard conference to examine whether business have learned how to protect themselves from debilitating threats, and and other questions relating to the health and safety of corporations in the age of terror
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Peach releases 12-step compliance certification scheme
We note that compliance monitoring is a growig industry, and a U.K. company issues a 12-step compliance certification tool you may find useful
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Start-up offers tool to validate disaster-recovery implementations
Every time a change is made in the production environment it must be implemented in a similar way in the disaster-recovery environment; new toll helps do just that
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The long view
Strengthening School Violence Prevention
Violence by K-12 students is disturbingly common. Ensuring that schools have effective ways to identify and prevent such incidents is becoming increasingly important. Expanding intervention options and supporting K-12 school efforts in Behavioral Threat Assessment and Management (BTAM) would help.
Huge Areas May Face Possibly Fatal Heat Waves if Warming Continues
A new assessment warns that if Earth’s average temperature reaches 2 degrees C over the preindustrial average, widespread areas may become too hot during extreme heat events for many people to survive without artificial cooling.
Trump’s Cuts to Federal Wildfire Crews Could Have “Scary” Consequences
President Donald Trump’s moves to slash the federal workforce have gutted the ranks of wildland firefighters and support personnel, fire professionals warn, leaving communities to face deadly consequences when big blazes arrive this summer. States, tribes and fire chiefs are preparing for a fire season with minimal federal support.