Posted by Sarah Rixey on Thu, May 16, 2013
As part of our comprehensive disaster recovery planning services, Agility Recovery Solutions sends out a free weekly tip through email. If you would like to receive these tips, please sign up here.
Prepare. Plan. Test.
Day in, day out, we see organizations taking the initiative to put a disaster recovery plan in place. And while we can't hide the big smile it brings to our face, the unfortunate fact remains that the majority of businesses never test their plan.
Testing your continuity plan is without a doubt the best way to ensure your business remains operational following a disaster. Conducting a yearly test can effectively validate the strengths and expose the weaknesses of your plan while providing valuable practice for employees.
Interested in learning more about testing? Check out the below resources for several first-hand accounts of the testing process.
- Credit Union Discusses “Why Test?” – Click here to register for a live conversation with Westerly Community Credit Union. Westerly will discuss the benefits of testing and recap their most recent testing experience.
- 2013 Shake Rattle & Roll – Click here to read the first hand account of Agility’s President and CEO, Bob Boyd participating in the 2013 Shake Rattle and Roll test exercise hosted by the National Disaster Medical System.
If you have additional questions or would like to talk with a recovery professional about your business continuity needs visit www.agilityrecovery.com or call 866-364-9696.
Posted by Bob Boyd on Fri, May 10, 2013
Here at Agility, we worry about the “what if” scenarios on a regular basis. We run our own Annual Table Top exercise where we test the limits of Agility, our partners, the communities and capabilities in order to constantly evolve the business. But recently I got the unique opportunity to be on the front lines of another test. And what an experience it was! Two weeks ago we were contacted by the American Red Cross as they needed volunteers for a drill they were participating in. If you’ve ever spent any time with me, you probably know I have an intense passion about changing the level of preparedness that exists in this country. I think Agility can make a huge impact on this and in many ways think it’s our corporate legacy and responsibility to lead that charge. As a result, I volunteered. I volunteered without really knowing what the exercise was going to be, how I was going to be involved or what I might be doing. For all I knew, we were going to spend an hour in a conference room in a theoretically exercise. Boy was I wrong!
I arrived Wednesday morning at the Air National Guard base adjacent 
to Charlotte Douglas Airport and checked in with the guard. I then made my way to the Red Cross base command center to learn my “mission”. After checking in I was assigned a character that I would play during the disaster. I received a card on my character and was surprised to see that I was Crystal Burns of Ashburn, GA! I magically became a 54 lady who had some very unfortunate injuries. I was next directed to the “moulage” staging area where I would be “made-up” to reflect my injury. Crystal had a broken right forearm with a protrusion. The moulage people quickly decided my injury was going to be an ugly one – after prosthetic attachments, fake blood, glue and some shredding of clothes I had my injury.
Next I went to the staging center where we were briefed on the event. The exercise we were going to participate in was being run by the National Disaster Medical System (NDMS) for their 2013 Shake Rattle & Roll full scale exercise. The scenario was a 7.0 earthquake on the New Madrid Fault. Thousands of people are injured or killed and there is widespread destruction. The NDMS is activated and charged to receive, triage, stage, track and transport the patients to 47 hospitals in Western North Carolina. NDMS is required to conduct a full scale test every three years. I was going to be one of the patients being evacuated from impacted area (Ashburn, GA) to Charlotte and from there to an appropriate hospital where I would receive care. I was one of about 100 volunteers and our injuries ranged from everything from a simple burn or bruise to severed limbs and mental patients.
After everyone received their “mission” and in some cases “moulage” treatments, we were loaded onto a C-130 military transport plane. This is where the exercise began – the plane has just landed in Charlotte at the Air National Guard base and now the locals needed to receive, triage, track and distribute the patients to an appropriate care facility someplace in North Carolina. The C-130 was an awesome airplane.
I must say, the Air National Guard was the most impressive group I’ve had the chance to work with – they were professional, organized and practiced. Our Wing had just returned from a deployment in Afganistan and just done the exact type of mission we were testing as they were transporting injured soldiers to Germany for treatment. They were as professional a team as anyone could hope for and I immediantly found myself so proud of our Armed Forces. They really set a high standard. Once we were all in place the exercise began – the Guard, local Fire Departments and EMS personal moved us off the plane to triage/staging areas inside a hanger. We were packed into the C-130 like sardines!
Off we went in a very orderly fashion on stretchers to see the Medic teams who quickly assessed our conditions. We were placed into Red, Yellow, Green or Black codes for treatment and transportation. Red were the worst injured and Green the least serious. Black were those patients that either died during transport or died in the holding area.
Once we received our designation, a paramedic came over, 
assessed treatments, and we waited for transport. Some of the folks were evacuated to local hospitals but some went all the way to Blowing Rock. In all, 47 hospitals in Western North Carolina participated and they actually put the people with the most serious injuries in ambulances and moved them to the appropriate hospital. My injury, while it looked awful, was actually far less serious than many other folks – this picture is of a friend who also had a protrusion but hers was in her eye! Made my arm seem like nothing more than a scratch!
When my time came for transportation, I was placed in a large Medic emergency bus that was outfitted to transport, en mass, about 30 patients. My group, luckily, all were going to CMC-Main which is the biggest hospital in the area located downtown about 15 minutes from the Air National Guard base. As I said, some of the folks went to Murphy NC, Blowing Rock, Concord, Wake Forest and other much more remote locations.
We arrived at CMC-Main and were quickly admitted into the Emergency Room, seen by a nurse and finally treated by a doctor. In my case, Crystal needed tetanus, morphine, antibiotics, x-rays, surgery to put pins into my fracture and a cast. 
Crystal was taken really good care of and I’m pleased to say was a survivor of the earthquake. In total the exercise was a stunning success. The Air National Guard successfully transported about 100 injured civilians; they were identified, organized, given care and distributed to the proper hospital best suited to deal with their injury. At all stages along the way our movements were tracked, confirmed and no one got lost or left behind. That is no small feat when you are talking about all the people and chaos involved. The Guard, Red Cross, Fire & Medic and the hospitals were superb. I’m certain they identified lots of areas for improvement but, as we always say, that is why you do the tests. To simulate the steps taken during recovery, identify shortcomings, and help employees practice their recovery responsibilities.
I was thrilled to participate and was truly impressed by all parties involved. If you have ever questioned the value of testing, I encourage you to reach out to local partners and see how you can get involved. I promise, it will be an experience you will never forget.
Bob Boyd
President & CEO
Posted by Mark Norton on Tue, May 15, 2012
You probably know by now that we love to talk about preparedness. You also understand that testing (aka: practicing) is really the best form of preparedness. We focus, or borderline nag, on the importance of challenging your assumptions that make up your disaster recovery procedures. The goal is discovering inconsistencies or gaps in your plans and finding out which processes you can improve upon. So what kind of company would we be if we didn’t practice what we preach?
On May 3, Agility conducted its annual Table Top Testing Exercise. For 2012, we decided to do things a little bit differently. Per Agility’s tradition, the participants were kept in the dark with regard to what mock disaster scenario we’d be facing, but this year we added a twist. Rather than break away into groups and work out the kinks in small groups, we did a full two days of role playing with the whole company. That’s right, the most terrifying style of public speaking known to man…improv in front of your peers. We pushed ourselves beyond our comfort zone because we know it takes an extreme level of preparation to perform when all the chips are down and everything around you is in chaos.
Agility’s Operations Team, along with some of our fantastic partners like Globecomm Systems, General Electric, Modspace, and many of our generator providers, gathered around tables with our teams in the Charlotte office. Together we learned the Mississippi River had flooded on a Sunday, and by 6:15 PM in our mock scenario, we’d already had 45 members call in and place us on “alert status.” In other words, they were giving us a heads up in the event that the flooding has an impact on their company. By Monday morning, the number of alerts grew to 175 members, with 10 members already beginning the actual recovery process. Tuesday brought us up to 215 alerts and 37 members recovering and the Wednesday numbers jumped to 345 alerts and 72 members in recovery mode. Whew!
We were called up one by one to the front of the room to react, on-demand, to whatever scenario was thrown our way. We had to perform as we normally would in a realistic situation and afterwards, we returned to our teams to discuss what was done and how it could have been done better. During that time, we also answered questions that were posed to confront and even dispute what we thought might happen next. So, in our exercise, we navigated new routes due to closed roads and bridges, brainstormed the most efficient forms of communication during a regional event, challenged our existing procedures for member recoveries and conceptualized new ideas for improvements down every avenue.
Needless to say we had a number of takeaways from this year’s Table Top. We are cross-training more Agility employees to ensure the highest level of productivity during disasters. We’ve scheduled lunch-and-learns on various programs that we want to familiarize ourselves with in order to enhance Agility’s recovery procedures. We have documented details on different solutions for member support, mass communications, and ongoing internal support during regional events, etc.
Together with our partners, we tested, challenged and evaluated ourselves. It was wonderful to see the company and our partners come together in one room with one common goal: continual improvement while always protecting and preserving our 100% success rate.
Tests conducted by our members are never a matter of pass or fail, but rather a progressive journey in always being ready for tomorrow.
Posted by Sarah Rixey on Thu, May 03, 2012
As part of our comprehensive disaster recovery planning services, Agility Recovery Solutions sends out a free weekly tip through email. If you would like to receive these tips, please sign up here.
Testing in Progress
Every year, Agility conducts an internal table top testing exercise that usually consists of a two-day meeting with employees and vendors. The goal is to simulate each of the steps taken during a recovery in order to test our own disaster recovery plan, identify shortcomings, and help key personnel practice their recovery responsibilities.
As a part of this year’s test, we invite you to join us as we document our mock recovery. Follow us on twitter for live updates, educational resources, and tips on how to conduct your very own testing exercise.
Last year’s mock disaster scenario involved a hurricane that made landfall in Florida, traveled up the east coast, and left dozens of members without power. Then to make matters worse, a few days following the “hurricane” a massive tsunami pummeled the west coast affecting members and vendors alike. What will it be this year... how will we cope? Click here to find out.
If you have additional questions or would like to talk with a recovery professional about your business continuity needs visit www.agilityrecovery.com or call 866-364-9696.
Posted by Sarah Rixey on Mon, Apr 16, 2012
The Road to Recovery
Location: Columbus, Ohio
Industry: Insurance
Membership Package: ReadySuite
Interruption: Tape Drives
When one of our members in Ohio called in, he wasn’t in a panic. There was no fear or urgency in his voice and there were no sounds of chaos in the background. He had simply called Agility to tell us that he was in need of tape drives. His tape library had failed and he needed a temporary replacement in order to continue backing up his data. Continuity Planner, Tom Combs, exchanged info with him and drew up the next steps of his recovery strategy in less than an hour.
After walking through available options, our member was relieved to know that rather than opting for an exact replacement, he could instead use two of the three tape drives he had access to through his ReadySuite Membership that would save him money. He immediately asked us to send him the equipment, stating “I didn’t want to rush into buying equipment – it was nice to be able to replace it right away.” Last year, he’d tested his recovery plan with Agility, which only added to his peace of mind and confidence in depending on us.
Our member saw that we were truly a partner in recovery and actively seeking out the most cost effective route with no other focus other than getting him back in business. This gave him the peace of mind to be out of the office that same week, knowing that he won’t have to think about tape drives because he has a partner he can trust to be there even when he’s not. He knows that Agility’s got his back.
Posted by Sarah Rixey on Fri, Apr 13, 2012
As part of our comprehensive disaster recovery planning services, Agility Recovery Solutions sends out a free weekly tip through email. If you would like to receive these tips, please sign up here.
Plan. Practice. Prepare.
Resilience – the ability to overcome obstacles, is part of the DNA of all well respected leaders; especially when it comes to disaster recovery. For some people, resilience and the ability to think calmly and react swiftly, comes naturally. For most of us, resilience comes with a great deal of planning, practice, training and experience.
Take the “Miracle on the Hudson” as an example. The pilots of that flight had a 100 page disaster recovery plan at their fingertips. But without intense practice in flight simulators, and his long history of flying glider planes, Captain Chesley Sullenberger’s emergency landing on the Hudson River could have just as easily ended in tragedy.
So what can you do to prepare your organization and become a more resilient leader? Click here for some advice and lessons learned from the heroic actions of Captain Sullenberger and his crew.
If you have additional questions or would like to talk with a recovery professional about your business continuity needs visit www.agilityrecovery.com or call 866-364-9696.
Posted by Sarah Rixey on Tue, Mar 20, 2012
As part of our comprehensive disaster recovery planning services, Agility Recovery Solutions sends out a free weekly tip through email. If you would like to receive these tips, please sign up here.
Assess, Adjust, Improve
Audit season in finally coming to a close. What a relief. While many of us dread being audited, it is an important exercise that adds value to your organization by providing insight and valuable recommendations for improvement.
In addition to your annual financial audit, regulators and corporate risk managers often require an annual test of your disaster recovery plan. Similar to an audit, exercising this plan identifies problems or weaknesses that can necessitate appropriate modifications to the plan.
To learn more about putting your disaster recovery plan in motion, visit the Agility Archives and watch our recorded educational webinars on testing.
For more information about testing your plan with Agility, please call 877-364-9393 or email testrequests@agilityrecovery.com.
If you have additional questions or would like to talk with a recovery professional about your business continuity needs visit www.agilityrecovery.com or call 866-364-9696.
Posted by Sarah Rixey on Wed, Jan 25, 2012
As part of our comprehensive disaster recovery planning services, Agility Recovery Solutions sends out a free weekly tip through email. If you would like to receive these tips, please sign up here.
Duck, Cover & Hold On
On February 7, 2012, at 10:15 a.m. Pacific time, over one million people will participate in The Great ShakeOut, an earthquake drill that helps people practice how to safely duck, take cover, and hold on in the event of an earthquake.
Here are a few reminders about the upcoming event:
- You don’t need to be in the Central U.S. or California to participate. The quake that shook the East Coast last year reminded us that earthquakes can happen anytime and anywhere. We encourage everyone to participate in the ShakeOut and practice how to stay safe during an earthquake.
- Engage your family and workplace in earthquake safety. There are some important steps your business can take before, during and after an earthquake. Click here to download Agility's Earthquake Preparedness Checklist.
- After the ShakeOut, share your story. Recount your experience on our LinkedIn page - Collaborate. Share. Prepare. The stories you share may inspire someone else to get prepared for an emergency.
If you have additional questions or would like to talk with a recovery professional about your business continuity needs visit www.agilityrecovery.com or call 866-364-9696.
Posted by Sarah Rixey on Wed, Dec 14, 2011
In response to multiple requests to make our recovery tests more transparent and accessible, we have decided to share with you the following test we recently conducted with one of our members.
Read below as Senior Continuity Planner, Mark Norton recounts the testing experience. From the mock disasters to valuable takeaways, learn first-hand about the importance of testing your disaster recovery plan.
At 6:00 a.m. on Monday morning an Agility mem
ber had a pretend a tornado blown through their office building presenting them with obvious challenges beyond the typical mundane Monday. Thankfully no one was hurt in this scenario, however there was no question they were going to need space for their 12 employees. Initially, they were thinking the parking lot would be ideal for recovery, however after hearing our stories of recent tornado recoveries they learned that debris from a tornado would likely block the roads or entrance to the parking lot making it an impossible option for recovery. This became the turning point in the scenario because their recovery strategy was contingent on that single statement (recovery would take place in the parking lot).
Agility has seen many strategies hinged on the assumption that someone or something would be available for recovery; however what if our assumption is wrong. Who do we turn to? Where do we go? What do we do? A suggested planning step for all of us is to TEST our assumptions. We all make them and we would all have a gap in our plans if these assumptions do not pan out.
Thankfully Agility isn’t contingent on anything so we were able to shift gears and share nearby space options for both a mobile office as well as office space for their employees. Another void after the tornado was in their communication plan. Since both phone and Internet access were lost following the tornado, they decided to forward their phone calls to cell phones, but they did not have a fix for their Internet. However, before we focused on finding Internet, we first circled back on the issues of using cell phones as your backup to landlines.
You see, cell phones didn’t work in Joplin and they didn’t work in Alabama. In fact, oftentimes in regional events cell phones typically aren’t good for sending/receiving calls. This is by design as the cell networks aren’t setup to support everyone calling everyone at the same time which is exactly what happens after a far-reaching disaster. Most of us have a good plan for the short-term disasters, but the long-term disasters pose a problem. So again, we want to make sure we all have a Plan B (long-term plan) when Plan A (short-term plan) no longer works for us. The voicemail Agility can setup was a great backup option for them and may be for you as well.
After we had taken care of the phones and determined where the new office place could go, we discussed the computer system they would need and everyone who would be there to set it up. We reinforced the importance of avoiding assumptions around who would’ve, could’ve, should’ve done x, y, z. We wrapped up by discussing a few things that wasn’t on their radar for the exercise:
- Internal & External Communications: Emphasized the importance of using different speakers for different audiences (having someone in charge of communicating to Employees, Vendors, Media, etc.) – we never want to have a single-point of failure or having Mr. Smith speaking to the media
- Keeping your employees up to date around what is going on – things happen very fast following a crisis and your employees should be the first to know what is going on. This can be a challenge when your customers and potentially the media are demanding the same information. Have a tool that allows for quick and easy communications to your audiences - Agility has an Alert Notification System which enables you to send a text message or email to all of your employees which may be one tool to add to your tool belt
- Knowing the various outlets for communication and how they can be updated – you have a large and often dynamic audience to interact with following a crisis so know different ways of reaching these when your traditional outlets of communication fail (email, phones, etc.). Good alternatives may be: company’s Website, radio, television, social media, etc.
At the end of the exercise, we received our greatest compliment, "You and your team were very helpful and I think my organization has gotten a lot out of this exercise. The conversation with you shed a lot of light on gaps in our disaster plan." That is why Agility is here. We believe in a more prepared world and a walk-through exercise is one (of many) steps forward in creating a culture of preparedness.
- Mark Norton
Agility Recovery, Member Services
Posted by Sarah Rixey on Wed, Nov 09, 2011
As part of our comprehensive disaster recovery planning services, Agility Recovery Solutions sends out a free weekly tip through email. If you would like to receive these tips, please sign up here.
It's Just a Test.
As you have probably already heard, the nation-wide Emergency Alert System test is scheduled to take place today, November 9th, at 2:00 p.m. est.
The test will interrupt regularly scheduled television, radio, cable, and satellite shows for approximately 30 seconds with a series of beeps and a message stating, "This is a test". Watch the below video for more information from FEMA's Administrator, Craig Fugate.
As your partner in preparedness, we encouraged you to share this information with your colleagues, family, friends and neighbors.
If you have additional questions or would like to talk with a recovery professional about your business continuity needs visit www.agilityrecovery.com or call 866-364-9696.
