July Chapter Meeting
Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Disasters, What is a Business to Do?

Presented by Michael Ryan, MS, Deputy Coordinator, Fairfax County Virginia Office of Emergency Management

Disaster can be classified in two broad categories. 1) Natural disasters- Preventing a natural disaster is very difficult, but it is possible to take precautions to avoid losses. These disasters include flood, fire, earthquake, hurricane, smog, etc 2) Man made disasters- These disasters are major reasons for failure. Human error and intervention may be intentional or unintentional which can cause massive failures such as loss of communication and utility. These disasters include accidents, walkouts, sabotage, burglary, virus, intrusion, etc.

It is estimated that most large companies spend between 2% and 4% of their IT budget on disaster recovery planning, with the aim of avoiding larger losses in the event that the business cannot continue to function due to loss of IT infrastructure and data. Of companies that had a major loss of business data, 43% never reopen, 51% close within two years, and only 6% will survive long-term.

While IT may not be a major component of small business, the impetus of the above data shows the importance of recovering data.  Regardless of how big or small your business, data is an essential element. 

In many cases, an organization may elect to use an outsourced disaster recovery provider to provide a stand-by site and systems rather than using their own remote facilities.  In addition to preparing for the need to recover, organizations must also implement precautionary measures with an objective of preventing a disaster in the first place. These may include surge protectors to minimize the effect of power surges on delicate electronic equipment, uninterruptible power supply (UPS) and/or backup generator to keep systems going in the event of a power failure, fire prevention alarms, fire extinguishers and anti-virus software and other security measures

This meeting has been approved for 1.0 recertification credit hour through the HR Certification Institute (HRCI).

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We welcome our July GOLD Sponsor, Maximus, Inc.

The MAXIMUS Tax Credit & Employer Services Division has an extensive history of providing tax credit and employers services.  Our services include:

Federal Work Opportunity and State Tax Credit Programs:
MAXIMUS assists employers to process their new hires through the Work Opportunity Tax Credit Program and State Hiring Tax Credit programs. These programs target groups of potential employees, including veterans, individuals with disabilities, and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) recipients.

Location Benefits: Location Benefits are negotiated and/or statutory incentives offered to businesses to encourage economic development, often in designated zones. MAXIMUS helps businesses keep up with research on which benefits are available and assists them in retrieving such benefits.

Electronic I-9 Services:  MAXIMUS offers Electronic I-9 software, which is easy to use and fully compliant with guidelines published by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

E-Verify:  MAXIMUS has integrated our I-9 services to the SCIS E-Verify program, enabling our clients to be in compliance with the various state regulations requiring E-Verify participation.

MAXOutreach™: MAXOutreach™ - is a proprietary recruitment tool to assist clients with new, non-traditional sources of likely tax credit eligible applicants to fill entry-level job openings.