Maintaining thriving businesses amid the threat of terrorism

In a Gartner Fellows Interview, former US Ambassador and international security expert John Kelly has given his views on what businesses should and shouldn’t be doing where terrorism is concerned.

Preparations to identify and defend against potential acts of terrorism vary widely among multinational companies, despite the ongoing realities of terrorist attacks worldwide, according to Mr. Kelly.

One result is some companies over-react to government warnings and other worst-case scenarios because the companies' intelligence on specific geographic locations tied to terror threats is not disciplined or current. Over-reactions can create needless disruptions that damage short- and long-term business results.

At the same time, terrorism planning - protecting employees as well as business information and facilities - needs to be taken seriously by senior management and boards of directors.

"The first thing leadership needs to decide is whether operations in a particular country or a particular region of the world are critical to the company's continued success," Mr. Kelly said. "If they are, then contingency plans and precautionary measures need to be taken with regard to personnel, data, locations, business processes, recruitment of personnel and utilising external advisors."

Other key points made by Ambassador Kelly include:

* On scenario planning: it is important to try to anticipate what might happen, but we cannot allow that to immobilise ourselves either in business or in our personal lives. General Dwight Eisenhower once said, "Plans are worthless. Planning is everything." What he meant is the intellectual effort to try to understand what you might do in a given set of circumstances is worthwhile even though the actual plan that you've drawn up may be overtaken by events.

* On technology's role: most terrorism attacks are aimed at targets of opportunity. Technology is helping terrorists - whether it's communications technology, explosive technology or technology that begins to get in the domain of weapons of mass destruction - chemical, biological or even nuclear threats.

* On the nuclear black market:the market exists in countries of the former Soviet Union, especially Russia. Most operators are con men, trying to dupe would-be purchasers into buying materials that are unsuitable as weapons - such as irradiated scrap metal. But sooner or later, someone will sell a nuclear weapon. More likely will be the sale of dangerous radioactive material, which will be the makings of a 'dirty bomb'. This could scatter radioactive material over a portion of a city, exposing large numbers of people to radiation poisoning.

* On whether to continue or suspend operations in high-risk locations: one US automobile manufacturer shut down its operations; another continued with a locally-recruited and -based staff. The first, effectively out of the market for six or seven years until the war ended in the 1990s, had to start again from zero. The second made a little money during the war and was in good position once it was over.

The full Gartner Fellows Interview with Ambassador Kelly is available on Gartner's web site at http://www.gartner.com/researc h/fellows/asset_133185_1176.jsp

•Date: 25th August 2005 • Region: US/World • Type: Article •Topic: Terrorism
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