Lessons Learned: The Aftermath of September 11

BACKGROUND September 11, 2001, will be indelibly stamped upon all our memories. It taxed our emotional foundation and tested the very mettle upon which our country was built. It also provided a most compelling reason for having a viable and executable business continuity planning (BCP) process. No longer will most corporate executives question the need for recovery planning. In fact, the very opposite is unfolding in corporations around the world. Boards of directors are now asking for an assessment of their recovery capabilities and want to understand their exposure. With this new emphasis on business continuity planning and disaster recovery (traditionally the information technology or IT portion of business continuity planning), there is a sense of urgency to “take immediate steps” to be prepared for the next crisis. What we learned from September 11 should serve as a guideline for addressing these requirements. What worked and what did not work are lessons that should be examined and applied to our planning process.