| A series of events over recent months has | | | | the office. Consider whether you can pre-approve |
| highlighted how businesses could find themselves | | | | home PCs for some key staff (Do they have |
| suddenly and unexpectedly without the services | | | | up-to-date anti-virus/spyware? Is Windows |
| of key staff, possibly for extended periods of | | | | Update turned on?) and relax network admission |
| time. For example, publicity during 2009 for the | | | | controls to allow their use in an emergency |
| anticipated swine flu pandemic showed that | | | | 5. Decide how you'll cope with the additional |
| government response to such an escalating | | | | connections through your VPN gateways and |
| situation would be to close schools. This would | | | | firewalls -- The likelihood is that your contingency |
| leave large numbers of parents unable to attend | | | | plans will mean a large increase in the number of |
| their normal place of work. | | | | staff access the corporate network from outside. |
| It is vital that businesses prepare for these | | | | It's wise to hold discussions with the vendors of |
| events, by evaluating the risks to their operations | | | | your perimeter security solutions beforehand, to |
| if key staff cannot get to their normal place of | | | | decide how any short term licence "overdraft" |
| duty. However, once the risks are understood, it | | | | can be handled. |
| is wholly feasible to select and deploy a range of | | | | 6. Make sure that deputies can access all the data |
| technical solutions to mitigate those risks. | | | | they need in the absence of key staff -- This is a |
| | | | procedural issue, to provide elevated access |
| 1. Equip your key staff to work off the premises | | | | privileges to those staff who will deputise for |
| -- many of your key workers may already be | | | | missing key workers. The procedures for |
| equipped with laptops and smart phones, to fulfil | | | | requesting and approving elevated privilege, and |
| their day-to-day responsibilities. Do they need to | | | | for "break glass" access in a fast-developing |
| be given additional equipment? 3G dongles or | | | | emergency can be built into your identity and |
| modems? Would it be wise to provide more key | | | | access management systems. |
| staff with laptops and smart phones? | | | | 7. Consider how you can arrange for collaboration |
| 2. Make sure your key staff are set up to work | | | | on key project information -- You can organise |
| from home -- As well as providing the necessary | | | | information in Microsoft OneNote and synchronise |
| equipment, you need to be sure that home | | | | it between an office PC and a laptop, using cheap |
| workers have adequate facilities. The UK's offers | | | | (or free) cloud based services. More recent |
| Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development | | | | developments allow synchronisation of the |
| offers advice on how to help staff set up to | | | | notebooks to an iPhone or iPad, using either cloud |
| work from home and how to manage their | | | | based or wi-fi based services. In the corporate |
| remote contributions. | | | | environment, collaboration using OneNote |
| 3. Make sure your key staff have access to audio | | | | notebooks can be managed through the |
| video conferencing and online meeting facilities -- | | | | (increasingly ubiquitous) Sharepoint Portal. Using a |
| Providing access to an audio conference bridge is | | | | combination like this, the key information needed |
| easy to set up. You can relay the bridge details | | | | for critical activities is shared between all the |
| by mobile phone or email as needed. Where staff | | | | members of your team and can be accessed |
| need to use this facility with customers or | | | | almost wherever they are. For now, the solution |
| partners, they'll need their own bridge account | | | | for iPhone is limited to read-only, but that editing |
| with your supplier. There are a range of online | | | | of notebooks via iPhone is about to enter public |
| meeting systems, such as Microsoft LiveMeeting, | | | | beta testing. |
| Citrix GoToMeeting or Cisco Webex. Many | | | | One final thought -- like all contingency plans, you |
| organisations ban the use of Skype on corporate | | | | need to test your arrangements. There are bound |
| networks, but in an emergency, it's simple to use | | | | to be things you've forgotten and you'll only find |
| and many people already have access from their | | | | out what they are when you do it. The |
| home PCs. | | | | well-known online tech news website organises |
| 4. Rethink your admission control for personal | | | | periodic "work from home" days, where all the |
| devices -- Organisations are understandably | | | | editorial staff stay out of the office and they try |
| reluctant to let staff use personal devices (PCs, | | | | to run the business day as normal. It's an |
| smart phones) to access the corporate network. | | | | excellent way to find out what works and what |
| But, in an emergency, this could be the only way | | | | needs tweaking. |
| to reconnect key workers, who can't make it into | | | | |