BRPA - In The Loop

Vol. 3, No. 1, February,  2010

Welcome

Jason Merante (Accenture) – BRPA Newsletter Editor

Hello again BRPA members.  We are faced with the sobering reminder that Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow and we have a good deal of winter still ahead of us. Bundle up, hunker down, grab some hot chocolate, and let your spirits be warmed by another exciting edition of BRPA – In the Loop. 

I would like to make a special plea to our readers to please let me know if you have any feedback or thoughts on how to improve this newsletter.  We welcome your insights as we are committed to serving our fellow members.  Please contact me by emailing newsletter@brpa-chicago.org.  Thank you in advance for your comments.

Meet the “new” board, same as the “old” board… As a reminder, BRPA has elected its board for 2010.  Please welcome Alina Rubin as the new BRPA secretary.  The remainder of the board members will remain in their positions for 2010.

Finally, please read a special article written by David Gervino, from the American Red Cross, about his efforts to help Haitian refugees in Chicago.  This narrative can be found in the Member Highlights section.

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A Word From our President

Tom Dziurgot (Grainger) – BRPA President

Our VP, John Mantsch, put together a sample list of ways you can help BRPA by being an active volunteer. 

Volunteer Assignments and Responsibilities:

1.    Meeting Prep and Clean Up – needed at every meeting (you only have to commit to one meeting but you can help at more if you like):

a.    Help organize the sign in table (organize badges, handouts, etc.).  Assist with pre-meeting tasks (Arrive 30 – 45 minutes prior to the meeting start time).

b.    Help clean up the meeting room after the meeting, including cleaning the desks of all paper and trash (Generally 10 minutes).

2.    Photography – needed at every meeting and event (Arrive 5 – 10 minutes prior to scheduled event / meeting start time).  A camera can be provided or you can use your own camera. 

a.    Regular Meetings

                  i.        Candid shots - general pictures throughout the meeting

                 ii.        Speakers - pictures of speakers in action and receiving their gift

b.    Sponsor Showcase

                  i.        Same as Regular Meetings (above)

                 ii.        Pictures of sponsors booths and attendees showing interest in products and services

c.    Golf Outing (multiple photographers and volunteers)

                  i.        Same as a Regular Meetings (above)

                 ii.        Pictures of each foursome

                iii.        Pictures of winners (all events – putting contest, longest drive, etc.)

               iv.        Pictures of morning networking prior to tee-off

                v.        Print pictures of each foursome

               vi.        Pass out pictures at the lunch

              vii.        Create slideshow of pictures to show during lunch

d.    Holiday Lunch

                  i.        Same as Regular Meetings (above)

                 ii.        Pictures of prize winners

                iii.        Pictures of each table

3.    Sponsor Showcase Meeting – needed at meeting day:

a.    Help organize the sponsor tables (Arrive 30 – 45 minutes prior to the meeting start)

b.    Help distribute handouts (About 10 minutes prior to the meeting and throughout the meeting)

c.    Help as needed to make sure that the meeting runs smoothly (Arrive 30 minutes prior to the meeting start – work tasks as directed by Program Chair)

4.    Golf Outing:

a.    Prior to the outing – solicit and collect giveaways and prizes for the outing from various stores and restaurants (commit at least 2 hours)

b.    Day before the outing – help assemble giveaway bag (commit at least 2 hours the night before the outing)

c.    Day of the outing:

                  i.        Help with the sign in table (arrive 30 minutes prior to outing networking start time – 30 minute commitment)

                 ii.        Help organize the raffle and silent auction tables (ideal for a non-golfer – 1-2 hours to move and set up prizes and sponsor plaques)

                iii.        Help with putting contest (ideal for non-golfer - Arrive 30 minutes prior to outing – follow detailed directions from Golf Chairman on how the putting contest works.  You will be outside during the networking time through tee-off, and again between the time golfers return until the contest is complete, prior to lunch.)

5.    Holiday Luncheon – needed at meeting day:

a.    Help with registration and name tags (arrive 30 – 45 prior to meeting time)

b.    Help with handouts and giveaways (arrive 10 minutes prior to meeting and throughout the meeting)

c.    Help with raffle table (arrive 15 minutes prior to meeting to set up signs and place raffle prizes, help pass out prizes during the drawing.)

6.    Yearly board elections - Chair the election committee (total of 4–6 hours commitment):

a.    Send out initial notice that elections are coming and to ask for volunteers

b.    Track respondents as to who is running and for what position

c.    Ensure that all nominations are complete and valid

d.    Issue voting instructions

e.    Certify the new board

f.     Announce the new board during the first meeting of the year

7.    Annual Audit:

a.    Audit BRPA financial records (total of about 8 hours over 2–3 meetings)

                  i.        Meet at the Treasurer’s office in Northbrook

                 ii.        Simple audit verifies beginning dollar amount, inflow dollars, outflow dollars, and final amount for one year using bank statements and receipts

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Summary of Last Meeting

Dan Johnson (Bank of America) – BRPA Program Director

The theme for this meeting was “Being Recovery Ready” and took place at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME) in Downtown Chicago. Chris Sarcletti (BRPA Membership Director) hosted the meeting and Comsys sponsored the breakfast.  Brianne Hopwood gave an overview of Comsys and all the benefits that they have to offer. After Brianne spoke, there were three presentations that were given. The first was Don Coash, AccuWeather who presented “Leveraging the Latest Advances in Weather Technology”.   The second speaker was David Gervino, American Red Cross who presented “Ready Rating Program”. The third speaker was Tom Henkey, Office of Emergency Management and Communications (OEMC), who gave an overview of the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT). 

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BRPA Event Schedule

Dan Johnson (Bank of America) – BRPA Program Director

March 11 Meeting

This meeting will be a full day session at Blue Cross Blue Shield in downtown Chicago. The theme of the meeting is ‘BRPA Sponsor Showcase’. There will be an Exhibit Hall set up for all BRPA Sponsors to display their company materials.  Each sponsor will have the opportunity present to BRPA members in our standard meeting format.  If you are a BRPA sponsor and are interested in participating in this event, please contact dan.johnson@bankofamerica.com.

We are always looking for sponsors for breakfast/lunch and raffle prizes at our meetings. The March meeting would be a wonderful opportunity for you and your company. You will have the opportunity to address our BRPA members by giving an overview of your company and explain to the attendees the benefits of using your services. If you are interested in sponsoring the breakfast or lunch for this event or a future event in 2010, please contact dan.johnson@bankofamerica.com.

BRPA 2010 Program Calendar*

Mar 11          BRPA Sponsor Showcase:  Blue Cross Blue Shield – Downtown Chicago (full day)

Apr 20          BRPA Training Session: JC Restoration, Rolling Meadows (full day)

May 18          Combined meeting with ACP:  IBM, Schaumburg (full day)

July 20          Sears, Hoffman Estates (morning – half day)

Aug 17^th        Annual Golf Outing – Chevy Chase Country Club

Sept 28^th       BRPA Appreciation Luncheon:  JC Restoration, Rolling Meadows (full day)

Nov 16^th        TBD (morning – half day)

Dec 7^th          Holiday Luncheon

*Meeting Locations subject to change

Supporting BRPA / Speakers

If you are interested in supporting the BRPA organization, you may host or sponsor a breakfast or lunch at an upcoming meeting. All sponsors will have the opportunity to address our membership and tell everyone about your company and services that you can provide.

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Guest Column

Eric Ledyard (Chief Technology Officer, Ahead)

Automating Disaster Recovery

Most documented disaster recovery (DR) plans are missing a key component. Disaster Recovery Plans commonly include detailed processes and procedures for replicating key business systems from one datacenter to another.  These plans typically detail steps required to bring these systems up in the proper order in the event of a disaster. Many of the plans are very detailed and are typically well-documented but, more often than not, there is one piece that is commonly overlooked.

Who will orchestrate the failover and execute the plan in the event of a disaster?

A common answer to this question is that the server, storage, and other infrastructure teams will execute the plan in the event of a disaster.  They even carry emergency contact cards and escalation and authorization processes with them everywhere they go.  Many of the plans make the assumption that in a disaster situation, these same core infrastructure teams will be capable of flawlessly executing a highly complex plan of recovery in order to ensure the continuation of business services to the organization.  The challenge that is commonly not considered is: What if they can’t?

On a typical day, most of the assets of the infrastructure teams necessary to execute a DR failover plan are usually working in the production datacenter.  Assuming that there is a disaster in the production datacenter facility that is so catastrophic that the company needs to execute on their failover strategy, you may face the challenge that the core infrastructure teams are unable to execute the plan. Potentially, your teams may be affected by the disaster, either from a health or family situation, rendering them unavailable for the recovery effort. We challenge companies to take another look at their plan and ask the question: “How will we execute our DR plan and meet our Recovery Time Objective (RTO) and Recovery Point Objective (RPO) targets if our core infrastructure teams are unable to access the systems and how do we test this solution regularly?”

The simple answer to this question is: “Automation.”

Technologies exist today in the modern datacenter that enable a company to automate their entire DR failover process and give them the tools to test these processes regularly. These technologies capture the complex instruction sets and detailed failover plans and turn these into reliable, scripted solutions that can be easily executed by almost anyone in an organization.  In fact, it could even be an external person, like an operations team in a remote data center, to whom you could “just pick up the phone and call” in the event of a disaster. One example of this technology is VMware Site Recovery Manager.

As an integrated element of Vmware vSphere, VMware vCenter Site Recovery Manager helps you:

• Accelerate recovery for the virtual environment through automation.
• Ensure reliable recovery by enabling non-disruptive testing.
• Simplify recovery by eliminating complex manual recovery steps and centralizing management of recovery plans.

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Member Benefits

John Mantsch (RJ O’Brien) – BRPA Vice President

Benefits Review

2009 has just recently wrapped up and I wanted to give you an overview of how BRPA has grown over the past year:

• Meeting attendance has grown tremendously.  This is largely attributed to our Program Director, Dan Johnson, who has been able to consistently bring in top notch speakers.  Our members benefit in three ways from Dan’s diligent work:
  • You are given the opportunity to learn from some of the top leaders in the field on all aspects of continuity.  From technology to family safety and everything in between.
  • The other benefit of the larger meetings is that there are more people with whom you can network.  Remember to use your networking skills to build bridges and to get answers to some of your nagging questions.
  • Opportunity to meet some of the top vendors in the industry.  Attending a meeting you might find yourself talking to a vendor who just might happen to have the answer to your business needs.  These relationships can prove to be very useful to you later if you’re looking for some direction or you’re looking to purchase a solution.
• Two training sessions have been added this year.  The training sessions are being facilitated by professionals in the field.  Presenters are well seasoned professionals giving you the tools you need to move ahead.
• Free passes to Camp IT are available.  Our members took advantage of this benefit last year and it does not look like they are going to slow down in 2010.  Dan Horwich, who runs Camp IT, has been very generous with supplying BRPA with passes.  Based on the feedback that I have received from our members, this has been an outstanding benefit. 
• The lunch only option for the August golf outing has continued, and is another benefit that our members are embracing.  This was a new offering two years ago.  With more people looking to use this opportunity to network with their peers, we anticipate an even larger turnout in 2010.
• The holiday luncheon continues to draw large crowds, and was another great success for BRPA.  This event will continue in 2010.

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Other Announcements

Alane Waktins (Kraft Foods) – BRPA Communications Director

Upcoming Events from our Collaborative Partners

A valued benefit of your BRPA membership is the free passes we give out each month to CAMP IT conferences.  CAMP IT is a BRPA collaborative partner and provides a member benefit valued at $219 for each pass.  It includes a full day of high quality training and a complimentary lunch. This is a great way to complete your CEUs for certification.  Many BRPA members are taking advantage of these great opportunities with CAMP IT.  Be sure to check your inbox for the email that details the monthly conferences and how to request a pass.

CAMP IT will hold 17 conferences this year.  These conferences target many topics of value to BRPA members, including security, project management, risk management, disaster recovery, and business continuity management.  Take advantage of this great opportunity and remember all employees of a BRPA member company are eligible.  If the conference topic is not of interest to you, it may be to one of your colleagues!

1. Upcoming CAMP IT Conferences:

Enterprise Risk /Security Management - Governance/Risk/Compliance (February 17, 2010): http://campconferences.com/events/2010/enterprise_risk1.htm

Email Archiving (March 4, 2010):

http://www.campconferences.com/events/2010/emailarchiving1.htm

Enterprise Disaster Recover/Business Continuity – Designing the Resilient Infrastructure (March 18, 2010): 

http://www.campconferences.com/events/2010/disaster1.htm

2. ICOR University offers courses in BCM, Crisis Management & Communications, Data Center Management, Organizational Resilience, Social & Personal Resilience (including Pandemic Planning), and Supply Chain Risk Management – many courses offered online and as self study as well.  BRPA Members receive a 10% discount on ICOR courses.  Use Voucher #BRPA-09010 when registering.  http://www.theicor.org/

3. DRJ Spring World 2010 March 21st-24th in Orlando, FL.  http://www.drj.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2840&Itemid=941

4. ContinuityLink offers multiple Business Continuity Management public or in-house training opportunities in North America and Europe.  BRPA Members receive a 10% discount on all ContinuityLink courses. For more information visit: http://www.continuitylink.com/En/training.htm. Specifically for the Chicago area, we offer Business Impacts Analysis courses on 09-10 March and on 02-03 September (http://www.continuitylink.com/En/Description-BCM-BIA.htm).  We also offer BCM Audit courses  on 11-12 March and on 31 Aug.-01 Sept. (http://www.continuitylink.com/En/Description-BCM-AUD.htm).

5. Lake-Cook Regional Critical Incident Partnership: Planning and Responding to Catastrophic Events.  This timely topic will be spoken to by private sector and government agencies that have experience in planning, response, and relief efforts.  February 17, 2010, from 8 am – Noon at Hewitt Associates, Lincolnshire.  For information visit www.lcrcip.org.  To register contact James Joseph:  jkjoseph@cfsintel.com.

6. Technology Executives Club Portfolio & Project Management Track Presents:  On-Time, In-Budget Strategies:  Best Practices in Portfolio& Project Management, February 25, 2010 from 1-5 PM at the Union League Club, Chicago.  http://www.technologyexecutivesclub.com/Events/2010/0210.php#register

Technology Executives Club of Chicago - Webinar Track – “Business Analysis & Business Analyst Best Practices” on February 10, 2010 http://www.technologyexecutivesclub.com/webinars/businessanalyst.php

Technology Executives Club of Chicago - Webinar Track –  “Security for Modern Threats:  You are the Target” on February 17, 2010 http://www.technologyexecutivesclub.com/webinars/security.php.

7. AITP Senior IT Leader Small/Medium Business SIG (SIG) is hosting "Happy Surprises:  Small Things that make a Big Difference” on February 11, 2010 from 7:30 am – 10 am at Aquascape in St. Charles, IL.  Register here.

8. World Conference on Disaster Management WCDM 2010 Toronto is June 20-23, 2010.  Register at http://www.wcdm.org/

9. Great Lakes 2010 InfraGard Conference “Securing the Next Decade” is March 10, 2010 at the Fetzer Center, Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, MI.  Direct questions to mi-infragard-president@charter.net.

10. ACP Northern Illinois Chapter Meeting is February 11, 2010 at JC Restoration, Rolling Meadows, IL.  The agenda includes Information Security & Cloud Computing, Physical Security, and Workplace Violence.  For more information, visit http://northernillinois.acp-international.com (click Meetings).  To register or for questions, contact Marcia Kittler Marcia@MKBusinessSolutions.com.

11. 2010 Disaster Recovery & Business Continuity Forum July 26, 2010, The United Club at Soldier Field, Chicago.  Register:  http://forumnetworkingevents.com/site/reservations.aspx

12. SunGard Availability Midwest Client Connection- SAMCC will be held February 11, 2010 at the Itasca Country Club.  For event information:  http://guest.cvent.com/EVENTS/Info/Summary.aspx?i=c5074e5c-f256-478e-aeba-7d1bab25d223

13. The 21st Annual Midwest Security Conference will be held March 8-9, 2010 at the Lisle Wyndam Hotel, in Lisle, IL. The theme is "R U Ready”? Preparing Contingencies in an Age of Uncertainty.” For more information, go to www.midwestsecurityconference.com.

14. SunGard Midwest Regional User Group will meet February 18, 2010 from 9-Noon at MB Financial Bank, 6111 N. River Road in Rosemont.  Register by February 11th with Jennifer Russell jrussell@mbfinancial.com.

15. Community Emergency Response Training – CERT

For CERT training in the NW Suburbs, Palatine offers several CERT classes in 2010. (To view dates and times, go to www.palatine-ema.org and click CERT Classes) Most sessions are being held at 200 E. Wood (Village Hall Building) in the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) located in the lower level on the West End of the building.  For Registration contact Tom Smith tsmith@palatine.il.us.

For CERT Training in the city of Chicago (will start in late March/early April), email chicagocitizencorps@cityofchicago.org.  Registration is 30 days in advance.

For other area CERT information, visit http://www.citizencorps.gov/.

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Member Highlights

Chris Sarcletti (CME Group) – BRPA Membership Director

Thank you for your participation and sponsorship of BRPA.  This year’s program was very successful, based on membership surveys and feedback.  BRPA’s mission is to provide educational, professional, and networking opportunities for the Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery community.  As the association is a non-profit, we rely on annual dues and sponsorship to offer our events.

2010 BRPA dues have changed slightly over previous years.  We continue to have two levels of membership (‘Member’ and ‘Sponsor’):

• BRPA Memberships are geared towards companies whose employees are interested in attending BRPA events.  The cost is $125 and is inclusive of all employees.

• BRPA Sponsorships are geared towards companies that want to show a higher commitment level and leverage BRPA for networking, speaking/hosting opportunities, and for sharing best practices within the membership.  The cost is $250 and is inclusive of all employees.

The benefits of each membership level are included below:

• BRPA Member
  • Meeting and training attendance for unlimited number of employees
  • Access to members only section of the website
  • One vote per organization for all major organization decisions
  • Networking!  BRPA events provide an excellent opportunity for you to build your professional network.
  • You will receive a copy of each “BRPA In The Loop” Newsletter
  • Chances to win free passes to BC and DR industry related events like CampIT conferences
  • Continuous learning and industry training
  • 10% discount at DRJ and CPM events
  • 10% discount on ICOR training
  • A special member rate of $225 for all Technology Executive Club events
  • CPE credits for ABCP, CBCP, MBCP maintenance

• BRPA Sponsor
  • Meeting and training attendance for unlimited number of employees
  • Access to members only section of the website
  • One vote per organization for all major organization decisions
  • Networking!  BRPA events provide an excellent opportunity for you to build your professional network.
  • You will receive a copy of each “BRPA In The Loop” Newsletter
  • Chances to win free passes to BC and DR industry related events like CampIT conferences
  • Continuous learning and industry training
  • 10% discount at DRJ and CPM events
  • 10% discount on ICOR training
  • A special member rate of $225 for all Technology Executive Club events
  • CPE credits for ABCP, CBCP, MBCP maintenance
  • Utilization of vendor table at BRPA meetings to advertise services
  • Publicity
    • Company logo on BRPA web site
    • Listing in the Sponsors’ directory on the BRPA website that includes a short description of your company products and services.
  • Ability to offer discounts to BRPA members

You should have received an email from the BRPA Membership Director in late October or early November related to renewing your membership or becoming a member.  If you haven’t been contacted, please contact Chris Sarcletti at Christopher.Sarcletti@cmegroup.com.  Payments are now past-due.  Payment options are:

1. Pay online by using the following link http://www.brpa-chicago.org/join.html 
2. Send a check made payable to BRPA-Chicago at the following address:

Business Resumption Planners Association

Attn: Arnold E. Miller, Treasurer

P.O. Box 1103

Northbrook IL 60065-1103

If you need an invoice for your records, please contact me.   

Thank you for your support of BRPA.

Chris Sarcletti, BRPA Membership Director

Members In The News

Red Cross – Haiti Response

I went out to the airport to meet one of the incoming flights.  My role at the airport was to provide the Red Cross and partner agency health services staff at the shelters with advance notification of what they could expect in terms of the medical needs of the clients who had just arrived.  Seeing the evacuees walk through the airport was an emotional experience.  It was overwhelming to see so many people who had lost so much.  Most of the evacuees arrived without coats and several of them had visible injuries.  Many people had loved ones back in Haiti who had still not been accounted for.  A few of the clients who got off the plane had medical issues that needed to be addressed right away.  These clients were referred to paramedics from the Chicago Fire Department (CFD), who provided immediate care.  The rest were referred to the clinic at the shelter.

At the shelter, we met with several other clients who had lost their medications and been unable to take them for a few weeks.  We worked closely with our partners at the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) who were able to get the medications replaced. We also helped out at the shelter, providing triage and working closely with CDPH personnel at the clinic and the CFD medics to help make sure that clients’ medical needs were met.

The two things that impressed me the most were seeing the resiliency of the evacuees and the compassion of my fellow Red Cross paid and volunteer staff members.  The evacuees, who had every reason in the world to be upset, all seemed so grateful to have made it here and they went out of their way to express their appreciation for the help that the Red Cross was providing.  Even something as simple as putting a blanket around them as they walked out of the airport or putting a hand on their shoulder and giving a reassuring smile seemed to make a big difference.  I saw people from every department helping out at the shelter.  Many people had worked a full day at the office and had to be at work early the next morning, but they still stayed until 2 or 3 in the morning – even later in some cases – to make sure that everyone’s immediate needs were met.

Being a part of this relief operation made me extremely proud to be a part of the Red Cross family.  It served to remind me of what attracted me to the Red Cross back when I first started here.  We were a compassionate presence for so many people who had lost so much.  We made a difference.

Postscript

The only person deployed to Haiti from Chicago is still there.  She is a mental health professional who is assigned to the U.S.S. Comfort, providing mental health support for patients and relief workers onboard.  I do not know she will be back in Chicago. 

Locally, we helped with the receiving of three flights of Haitian evacuees.  BRPA members might also be interested to hear about the mobilization of our Ready When the Time Comes Program, which is where we train volunteers from local businesses so that they are able to supplement our core volunteers during large disasters.  We had several of these RWTC volunteers from Grainger and a few other companies assist at the shelter.  It is a great way for businesses to support disaster relief efforts and it also serves as a way to build a corporate culture of teamwork and community involvement.

You can see some of the photos from our Chicago-based operation here:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/chicagoredcross/sets/72157623253949404/

About the Author

David Gervino works full-time for the Red Cross, coordinating business continuity and other workplace disaster preparedness programs.  As a licensed Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), David also volunteers with the Red Cross Disaster Health Services team.  It was in that capacity that David assisted with this response.  David has been a BRPA member for two years.

Please let us know if you have any important milestones to share.

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Special Events

David Pomerantz (Latisys) – BRPA Special Events Director

No update this time.  Stay tuned for information on upcoming special events.

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Closing Thoughts

Thanks again for reading our newsletter.  We welcome your feedback as we continue to update this newsletter based on the needs and suggestions of our BRPA members.  As always, we are only an email away: newsletter@brpa-chicago.org.

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