The horrendous recent bombings in Istanbul and the devastation caused
to HSBC’s headquarters there highlight yet again not only the human
consequences of such terrorism but also the impact on institutions and
systems. The challenge is how to assess the risks adequately and how to
respond.
Given that the only certainty is that extraordinary events, whether
terrorism or recent blackouts in the US and Italy, will continue, the
only strategy is better preparedness. “We need greater resiliency than
we had before,” says Gregg H Goble, global vice-president of resiliency
at IBM Global Services.
Speaking at the recent Business Continuity Management seminar held by
The Banker, Mr Goble emphasised the need to redesign infrastructure to
prepare for an ever-wider spectrum of disaster scenarios, and develop
business continuity responses.
He questioned whether the trend towards outsourcing to India and China
had taken into account the impact of disasters in these areas: had
strategies incorporated back-up and recovery operations?
And though trends suggest that utility computing and grid networking
are gaining favour, banks must embrace business continuity plans for
all parts of their operational systems, he said.
