NEWS : north america,
September 2010

SunGard Availability Services expands data center facilities at Carlstadt campus
Increasing customer demand for colocation and managed services.
Read article
•Date: 30th Sept 2010 • Region: US •Type: Article •Topic: IT continuity
Rate this article or make a comment - click here

Research looks into the impact of virtualization on data protection strategies
Reveals that it still takes nearly 5 hours to recover a machine; recovery failures are common.
Read article
•Date: 29th Sept 2010 • Region: US/World •Type: Article •Topic: IT continuity
Rate this article or make a comment - click here

New model predicts disaster impacts on cities
Model is a potential tool to help reduce the severity of impacts and harden infrastructure against future disasters.
Read article
•Date: 29th Sept 2010 • Region: US/World •Type: Article •Topic: DR general
Rate this article or make a comment - click here

New business continuity service for transaction printers launched in US
InfoPrint Solutions Company, a Ricoh company, has announced the launch of its Business Continuity Services for transaction printers, an extension of its Automated Document Factory workflow offerings and professional services. Facing unique continuity requirements, transaction printers in the financial, healthcare, insurance, utility, telco and government markets can now enable robust disaster recovery options in compliance with their business requirements. Read press release.
•Date: 29th Sept 2010 • Region: US •Type: Briefing •Topic: BC markets
Rate this article or make a comment - click here

Avalution wins HISPI training contract
The Holistic Information Security Practitioner Institute (HISPI), has named Avalution Consulting as the exclusive trainer to deliver its two and five-day BCI Good Practices Guidelines introduction and certification preparatory training. Read press release.
•Date: 29th Sept 2010 • Region: US •Type: Briefing •Topic: BC markets
Rate this article or make a comment - click here

US major disaster declarations:
US Virgin Islands
Federal aid is available to supplement the territory recovery efforts in the area struck by Hurricane Earl during the period of August 29- 31, 2010.
South Dakota
Federal aid is available to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the area struck by severe storms and flooding during the period of July 21-30, 2010.
•Date: 29th Sept 2010 • Region: US •Type: Briefing •Topic: DR general
Rate this article or make a comment - click here

Businesses over-confident about IT network resilience
According to the CDW ‘Business Continuity Straw Poll’.
Read article
•Date: 28th Sept 2010 • Region: US/World •Type: Article •Topic: IT continuity
Rate this article or make a comment - click here

Increased ROI from emergency communications systems
Aligning emergency communications investment with organizational strategy. By Berkly Trumbo.
Read article
•Date: 24th Sept 2010 • Region: US/World •Type: Article •Topic: Crisis communications
Rate this article or make a comment - click here

ANAB announces PS-Prep accreditation guidance
The US ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board (ANAB) has announced that it is inviting certification bodies to submit applications for accreditation for the Voluntary Private Sector Preparedness Certification (PS-Prep) program.
Read article
•Date: 24th Sept 2010 • Region: US •Type: Article •Topic: BC general
Rate this article or make a comment - click here

US Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee assesses terrorism threat
Three trends are emerging.
Read article
•Date: 24th Sept 2010 • Region: US •Type: Article •Topic: Terrorism
Rate this article or make a comment - click here

TAMP Systems updates business continuity software offering
Introduces a new Recovery and Response module.
Read article
•Date: 22nd Sept 2010 • Region: US/World •Type: Article •Topic: BC software
Rate this article or make a comment - click here

New research improves ability to detect malware in cloud computing systems
North Carolina State University software addresses one of cloud computing's weak links: hypervisor integrity.
Read article
•Date: 22nd Sept 2010 • Region: US/World •Type: Article •Topic: ISM news
Rate this article or make a comment - click here

The real end game of virtualization is automated IT operations
From backup to recovery to testing; the future is automatic. By Jerome M. Wendt.
Read article
•Date: 21st Sept 2010 • Region: US/World •Type: Article •Topic: IT continuity
Rate this article or make a comment - click here

Volcanic ash cloud impacts in retrospect
86 percent of US organizations say that the ash cloud crisis has affected their ongoing business continuity planning: survey.
Read article
•Date: 21st Sept 2010 • Region: US/World •Type: Article •Topic: BC statistics
Rate this article or make a comment - click here

Comprehensive Preparedness Guide 502: FEMA
‘Considerations for Fusion Center and Emergency Operations Center Coordination.’
Read article
•Date: 21st Sept 2010 • Region: US •Type: Article •Topic: Emergency planning
Rate this article or make a comment - click here

US warned of looming national crisis in water quality and supply
Businesses, farmers, environmental not-for-profits and government agencies have jointly issued a landmark call to action aimed at heading off a national crisis in water quality and supply.
Read article
•Date: 17th Sept 2010 • Region: US •Type: Article •Topic: BC general
Rate this article or make a comment - click here

US major disaster declarations
Tennessee
FEMA has announced that federal disaster aid has been made available to Tennessee to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the area struck by severe storms and flooding during the period of August 17-21, 2010.
New Mexico
FEMA has announced that federal disaster aid has been made available to New Mexico to supplement state and local recovery efforts in the area struck by severe storms and flooding during the period of July 25 to August 9, 2010.
•Date: 17th Sept 2010 • Region: US •Type: Briefing •Topic: DR general
Rate this article or make a comment - click here

NIST data release aims to help inform the technical-basis for evacuation planning of high-rise buildings
Data sets track the movement of people on stairs during high-rise building evacuation drills.
Read article
•Date: 16th Sept 2010 • Region: US/World •Type: Article •Topic: BC facilities & buildings
Rate this article or make a comment - click here

Avalution Consulting and Recovery Point announce partnership
Avalution Consulting has announced a strategic partnership with Recovery Point. Through this partnership, Avalution will provide business continuity consulting and software solutions to Recovery Point clients to help reduce the likelihood of an event, or limit the impact should an event occur. In turn, Avalution's clients will have direct access to Recovery Point's experts for the implementation of their organization's recovery services, including hot site, cold site and work area recovery; off-site data storage and transportation; electronic data vaulting, and secure hosting. Together, clients of both firms will be provided with solutions that address all aspects of business continuity: prevention and response. www.avalution.com www.recoverypoint.com
•Date: 14th Sept 2010 • Region: US •Type: Briefing •Topic: BC markets
Rate this article or make a comment - click here

‘Assessing the Terrorist Threat’
A new report by members of the BPC's National Security Preparedness Group details how the US terrorist threat has evolved since the attacks in 2001, including the development of homegrown networks and the increasingly diverse and decentralized nature of terrorism. Read the report (PDF).
•Date: 14th Sept 2010 • Region: US •Type: Briefing •Topic: Terrorism
Rate this article or make a comment - click here

New light shed on PTSD
PTSD can affect anyone and business continuity managers need to be aware of the issue from both a personal point of view and because of its potential impacts on crisis team members and employees in the wider organization.
Read article
•Date: 10th Sept 2010 • Region: N.America •Type: Article •Topic: BC general
Rate this article or make a comment - click here

COOP Systems announces new features for myCOOP
Several advanced enhancements to be highlighted at DRJ Fall World.
Read article
•Date: 10th Sept 2010 • Region: US/World •Type: Article •Topic: BC software
Rate this article or make a comment - click here

FEMA publishes public-private partnership resources
New web resources aim to enable state and local officials and their private sector partners to share practices and ideas.
Read article
•Date: 9th Sept 2010 • Region: US •Type: Article •Topic: Emergency planning
Rate this article or make a comment - click here

Watching Igor
Tropical Storm Igor has the potential to develop into a major hurricane.
Read article
•Date: 9th Sept 2010 • Region: US •Type: Article •Topic: 2010 Hurricane Season
Rate this article or make a comment - click here

ASIS International moves forward with organizational resilience maturity model
Announces committee formation; effort will help organizations tailor implementation of the ANSI/ASIS Organizational Resilience Standard to their specific business needs.
Read article
•Date: 8th Sept 2010 • Region: US/World •Type: Article •Topic: BC general
Rate this article or make a comment - click here

Continuity Centers launches MobileVault cloud backup services
Continuity Centers has announced the addition of MobileVault data protection services to its Secure Private Cloud Backup offerings. The new service “extends efficient, cost-effective and transformational cloud backup and recovery solutions beyond business walls to mobile computing devices outside the corporate LAN”. Read the press release.
•Date: 8th Sept 2010 • Region: US •Type: Briefing •Topic: IT continuity
Rate this article or make a comment - click here

Virginia computing nightmare continues
InformationWeek has reported that Virginia may lose data from a SAN outage that started in July. Apparently IT operations in Virginia are ‘more or less back to normal’, but Virginia is still working ‘around the clock’ to recover data. Read the story.
•Date: 8th Sept 2010 • Region: US •Type: Briefing •Topic: IT continuity
Rate this article or make a comment - click here

NIST finalizes initial Smart Grid Cyber Security Guidelines
Includes information for businesses and organizations to use as they craft strategies to protect the modernizing power grid from attacks, malicious code, cascading errors, and other threats.
Read article
•Date: 3rd Sept 2010 • Region: US •Type: Article •Topic: Power management
Rate this article or make a comment - click here

Institute for Southern Studies report says that Katrina disaster response lessons have still not been learned
According to a new report many of the problems exposed in the federal response to Katrina have yet to be addressed in Washington.
Read article
•Date: 1st Sept 2010 • Region: US •Type: Article •Topic: DR general
Rate this article or make a comment - click here

Get ready for Earl
UPDATED As Hurricane Earl approaches, FEMA urges east coast businesses to be prepared.
Read article
•Date: 1st Sept 2010 • Region: US •Type: Article •Topic: 2010 hurricane season
Rate this article or make a comment - click here

Five years later – how New Orleans flood risk has changed since Hurricane Katrina
Significant investments have been made in levees over the last five years; however, flood threat continues to rise as the city sinks and sea levels rise.
Read article
•Date: 31st August 2010 • Region: US •Type: Article •Topic: DR general
Rate this article or make a comment - click here

Atlantic Hurricane Season steps up a gear
Forecasters tracking Hurricane Danielle; and second hurricane likely to follow in its wake.
Read article
•Date: 25th August 2010 • Region: US •Type: Article •Topic: 2010 hurricane season
Rate this article or make a comment - click here

US public health agencies get disaster preparedness funding
Almost $700 million available for all-hazards state and local public health preparedness and response.
Read article
•Date: 24th August 2010 • Region: US •Type: Article •Topic: Emergency planning
Rate this article or make a comment - click here

MORE AUGUST NEWS

North American news indexes: