| One year after blackout, 70 percent of Ontario businesses are still unprepared The survey, commissioned by Toronto-based Fusepoint Managed Services and Mississauga-based Agility Recovery Solutions, found that only about half (45 percent) of decision-makers in Ontario's medium to large-sized businesses are confident that government leaders have taken the necessary steps to ensure another blackout or similar state of emergency will not occur. Despite the immense disruption in business they experienced last year, only a third (30 percent) of the organisations surveyed have a full-blown business continuity plan in place, while another 32 percent claim to have an ‘unofficial’ plan. "If another disaster strikes - and it will - Ontario businesses not only risk revenue loss, but also potential damage to their brand reputation and disruption of their services," said Robert Offley, president and CEO of Fusepoint Managed Services. "A business continuity plan isn't an accessory - it's an essential component of good corporate governance, and an 'unofficial' plan isn't enough. Implementing a solid business continuity plan is not as expensive or as time-consuming as people may believe." The August 14 blackout cut power to 50 million people across North America, and resulted in 18.9 million lost work hours in Canada alone. "Not every disaster affects most of North America," said Bob Boyd, CEO of Agility Recovery Services. "A fire, a lightning strike or even a major theft can put a company out of business if they don't have a solid plan in place." The survey found that 44 percent of business decision makers believed computer, Internet and web-site failure were the most critical impact of the blackout, while another 36 percent cited facility failures such as lights, elevators and air conditioning. Though three-quarters claim to be better prepared than last year, and almost all (90 percent) of businesses believe they have an obligation to have a sound business continuity plan in place, nearly half (47 percent) agree that the cost and lack of internal resources have limited their ability to get a formal business continuity plan in place. www.agilityrecovery.com
•Date:
13th August 2004 • Region: N.America •Type:
Article •Topic: BC
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