The following news article provides an excellent introduction to the basic facts about coronavirus. Below are some important activities to consider when building your pandemic response plan.
From CBC News: Information about the coronavirus outbreak is spreading fast, but what do we actually know about the illness? CBC News medical contributor and family physician Dr. Peter Lin breaks down the facts about what it is, where it came from, how it spreads and what you can do to protect yourself. To read more: https://www.cbc.ca/1.5433625
How does the organization get started? While this is not an exhaustive listing, a basic Pandemic response plan should at least include the following considerations:
Containment Activities
Reducing risk of infected persons entering the workplace
Social Distancing
Environmental cleaning
Management Activities
Managing Fear
Communicate Sick Leave policy
Prevent Travel to infected areas
Maintain Essential Business Activities
Identification of core people and skills
Business Planning for absence
Contingencies for remote work
Alternate staffing and alternate work locations
For more detailed information about how to better prepare your organization with effective BC/DR Planning tools, or to schedule a tabletop exercise with our Certified Business Continuity Professionals, please contact us via:
The contact form using the link at the top of this page
How can one demonstrate a measurable return on investment (ROI) from the implementation of an continuity planning tool?
In the economic landscape of today, it is no news to anyone that we see companies that have been in business for generations closing their doors. Organizations that remain are forced to have leaner operations, coordinate just-in-time inventory levels and manage the highest levels of employee productivity; all to drive sustainable profit margins and positive cash flows for the stakeholders.
Even government agencies, especially at the local and state levels, are struggling with dwindling revenues from their private sector constituencies, facing increases in unfunded mandates, higher costs, lower budgets and cut-backs in services and operations. Needless to say, all spending is highly scrutinized no matter the industry or sector, and discretionary spending items are omitted from budgets without even a second thought.
This being the case, why would any organization choose during these critical times to implement a Business Continuity (BC) or Continuity of Operations (COOP) program?
Request our complete Whitepaper to learn more about demonstrating ROI from a continuity planning solution.
The 2018 – 2019 Winter Weather Season is approaching. It is typical to prepare one’s home and vehicle for adverse weather situations, but what about your place of employment?
Do you have policies and procedures established in case staff cannot get to work due to a heavy snowstorm or ice storm? What about alternate work arrangements, or work from home accommodations where possible? Business closure procedures?
Check out this playbook from FEMA to prepare your organization for a winter storm:
Paradigm Solutions International announces OpsPlanner™ Business Continuity Management software Release 7, featuring a new User Interface, Branding features, an updated Mobile view, a new Program Calendar and a new Test module among many other new features and enhancements.
BETHESDA, MD – January, 2017 – Paradigm Solutions International, Inc. (PSI), an industry-leading provider of Business Continuity Management software and services, has announced the general release of OpsPlanner™ version 7; featuring an expansive set of innovative new features within an easy-to-use and cost-effective planning and recovery solution.
Some of the feature enhancements of OpsPlanner v7 include:
Enhanced Security. The OpsPlanner hosted environment has been updated to use the highest access and encryption methods with TLSv1.2, AES Cipher and HSTS-enablement.
New and Enhanced User Interface. The look and feel of the OpsPlanner application has been enhanced to use updated new user interface features such as contemporary-styled tabs, new list
boxes in place of sub-menu links, a new branding/logo area, and a new header layout with streamlined navigation.
Seamless Mobile access. Key workflow screens in OpsPlanner have been redesigned as responsive HTML web pages, which will now automatically optimize the view and display on smaller mobile or tablet devices.
A new TEST module. The new test module can be used to simulate the response and capture the effects of a response to an incident. The separate test module in OpsPlanner will provide the ability to capture information related to plans, team members, procedures, contacts, resources, references and notifications utilized during a simulation.
“OpsPlanner Version 7 provides an exciting leap forward in the overall user experience for continuity planners. This version provides a new User Interface, Branding features, an updated Mobile view, a new Program Calendar and a new Test module among many other new features and enhancements. OpsPlanner Version 7 has harmonized ease of use with a robust feature set, on top of a well-established and reliable solution. This latest offering will insure that Paradigm Solutions International continues to provide highly effective resiliency solutions to the marketplace.” said Russell E. Blackwell, Vice President and COO of Paradigm Solutions International.
Paradigm Solutions International, Inc. (PSI), headquartered in Bethesda, MD, is a leading provider of world-class Business Continuity Management (BCM), Disaster Recovery (DR) and Continuity of Operations (COOP) software and professional consulting services to commercial enterprises and government organizations. Our goal is to help our customers to prevent, prepare for, successfully manage, and fully recover from any type of operational disruption. “We are in business to keep you in business”.
Washington Hospital Services is the For-Profit-Arm of the Washington State Hospital Association. Our mission and purpose is to generate a profit by seeking, offering, and implementing superior services and programs to health care providers in the Pacific Northwest; profits are used to further the mission of the Washington State Hospital Association and reduce dues for WSHA members.
WHS partner companies deliver board approved products and services at a reduced price and this helps Washington State hospitals improve operational efficiencies and deliver the highest quality care to their communities. WSHA endorsed companies undergo a comprehensive evaluation process to ensure they meet and maintain the high standards of quality and services required for endorsement.
