‘I was thrown out of college for cheating on the metaphysics exam; I looked into the soul of the boy sitting next to me.’ | ||
| --Woody Allen | ||
Though your organization may have sufficient internal talent and expertise to provide in-house disaster recovery, you should still have the relevant staff trained and certified on DR. Similar to Microsoft, Novell, Cisco and other training and certification, DR training and certification is becoming popular – even mandatory – in many organizations. Such training provides organizations with international best practices and recommendations, case studies and methods to implement DR and BC. Secondly, it helps organizations prevent reinventing the wheel.
When selecting consultants for disaster recovery, it is highly recommended to select those with proper DR certifications and relevant experience in the respective fields.
Today there are several organizations worldwide that provide consultancy and training in DR and BC practices. However, there are two international organizations that specialize in all aspects of DR and BC. Outline details of the organizations are given below. The reader is recommended to visit the respective websites for information on the latest courses, study material and fees for the various courses.
DRI International (www.drii.org)
DRI is a reputable organization dedicated to providing certification and education in the field of DR and BC. DRI International’s certification programmes acknowledge an individual’s effort to achieve a professional level of competence in the industry. This recognition, in turn, helps strengthen the credibility of the profession as a whole.
This organization offers various basic to advanced training courses and certification for professionals. See below for details but for the latest information visit their website. The course fees range from about US$1,300 to about US$3,000. The complete DRI course catalogue in PDF format can also be downloaded from the DRI site.
Business Continuity Institute (www.thebci.org)
The Business Continuity Institute provides recognition and professional qualifications for BC practitioners. Represented in several countries, its membership brings various benefits to professionals, including recognition, networking, education and knowledge. The site also offers newsletters, best practices and so on.
The wealth of information available nowadays regarding DR and BC is simply enormous. Organizations and industries are slowly realizing the immense importance of having staff and departments to look after DR and BC.
In addition to the above two reputable organizations, various other institutes, universities, consultancies and commercial training providers are also now offering courses and certifications in DR, BC, emergency planning, etc. Many large organizations have also developed in-house training and courses on DR and BCP, tailored to their own specific needs and industries.
The following are some of the reputable organizations providing training, consultancy, study materials, etc, on DR and BC. The reader is recommended to visit the respective websites for additional information.
IT Governance (www.itgovernance.co.uk)
IT Governance source, create and deliver products and services to meet the real-world, evolving IT governance needs of today’s organizations, directors, managers and practitioners. This includes training and consultancy, where they are one of the leaders in the UK, offering both public and in-house training.
They are very practical and business-oriented, approaching IT governance, regulatory compliance and information security issues from a management perspective. They are committed to engaging business leaders in developing and implementing information, ICT regulatory compliance and information security strategies that enable their businesses to compete effectively in the global information economy.
Sentryx Certification (www.sentryx.com)
Sentryx is a DR/BC consultancy and training firm offering various training courses. It is dedicated to providing a high standard of professional business continuity training and consulting services. Sentryx offers a range of BC training products and services including on-site and off-site training, books, and computer-based training (CBT) packages. Sentryx’s consulting services include BC health check, business impact analysis, and BC strategy and plan development. The courses are designed to meet the requirements for professional development, certification, and corporate BC programmes. Their BC consulting services include planning process implementation, plan development, and programme audit.
Survive! The Business Continuity Group (www.survive.com)
Provides BC and DR professionals with an objective forum for the exchange of information, ideas and experiences, and access to an international network of peers. Offers a free magazine, plus conferences, meetings, workshops, seminars and other resources. Also offers information about the Business Continuity Institute, providing international recognition and professional qualifications for BC practitioners.
BCM Academy (www.bcmacademy.nl)
BCM Academy is the leading European information institute for business continuity and crisis management. It offers a full range of education, training and courses in an inspirational environment; without a surfeit of information, but rather a carefully balanced combination of theory and practical execution.
Institute for Business Continuity Training (www.ibct.com)
IBCT provides customized, in-house training and workshops for corporate clients, their business units, and BC practitioners. Each of the instructors has over 20 years of operational business and IT experience, all are experienced trainers, and all are professionally-certified BC practitioners.
Disaster Survival Planning Network (www.disastersurvival.com)
US-based DSPN helps organizations develop comprehensive enterprise-wide business continuity programmes. They are a network of nationally-certified business continuity and emergency response professionals who work one-on-one with top executives, department managers, safety committees, and BC project coordinators to plan, implement, and test BC programmes. For clients who already have BC programmes, DSPN help audit, test, and update their capabilities, thereby identifying gaps in their processes and recommending enhancements consistent with best practices in the industry.
Several other excellent DR and BC programme links are available at: