IT managers have become adept at introducing technology to help manage risk, but without the right processes, attitudes and education, that investment is meaningless.
Staff at all levels of the organisation need to understand the importance of best practice, to be aware of the threats and risks they face, and to treat sensitive corporate information as if it were their own. To achieve this means ingraining a culture of risk management that combines technology, processes and people.
In a recent Computing web seminar, in association with BT, we looked at the cultural and organisational aspects of effectively managing risk. Our panel of experts examined the best practices and discussed how to put an effective plan in place, as well as answering questions on meeting this increasingly important challenge.
This event was the first of a two-part seminar programme on risk management – look out also for the second seminar on how to create a technology plan to support your risk management strategy.
Dear Editor,
Growing risk awareness and an increasingly dangerous business environment may have prompted more companies to invest in disaster recovery (DR) as part of the business continuity programme - but what is the practical experience behind the plans?
Just what, indeed, is being recovered? Few organisations have any real insight into the true extent of their IT assets. Not only does this challenge the validity of the DR solution but it also raises huge questions in the event of an insurance claim.
For most companies, one of the major issues is the complete lack of co-ordination between the asset register recorded within finance and the inventory lists used within the IT department to determine system maintenance and support.
Any inconsistency between the asset register held within finance and other inventory records in the business will raise significant doubt for insurance companies, delaying payment at best. At worst an organisation could lose any chance of an insurance pay-out, even face charges of claiming for non existent items.
There are simple processes that can be followed to ensure greater information consistency. A central repository that records the serial number and asset location, as well as the value of each item, will meet the needs of all departments from finance to IT.
Critically, this ensures that reliable, accurate information is available for both insurance and DR planning, reducing business risk whilst also giving companies more confidence in their business continuity investments.
Yours sincerely
Karen Conneely
Group Commercial Manager
Real Asset Management
Central Court
Knoll Rise
Oprington
Kent
BR6 0JA
01689 892100
www.realassetmgt.co.uk
Posted by: Karen Conneely 24 Feb 2009
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