Crisis Management

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The most important thing you can do is communicate to internal and external stakeholders. Be transparent, communicate clearly and frequently. Pre-plan for this likely crisis to improve your ability to respond to a pandemic and implement a structure that can be applied to a wide range of other potential crises.

 

Research: Implement Crisis Management Best Practices

Template: Crisis Communication Guidelines and Templates

Template: Emergency Response Plan Checklist

Template: Example Crisis Management Process Flowcharts

Tool: Crisis Management Risk Prioritization Workbook

Template: Pandemic Policy

People Management

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Pandemic planning involves more than technology. Addressing employee concerns and absences, temporary work arrangements and process changes, health and safety, and other downstream effects of a pandemic can be difficult to work through. Equip managers and employees with the necessary information and guidance to navigate these uncertain times.

 

Research: Develop a Balanced Flexible Work Program

Template: Flexible Work Time Policy

Template: Flexible Work Action and Communication Plan

Template: Talent Metrics Library

Tool: Flexible Work Options Selection Tool

Research: Pandemic Preparation – The People Playbook

 

Business Continuity Plan

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If you don’t have a BCP, you should get one in a hurry. If you have one, we can review it with you. We’ll help you streamline the traditional approach to make BCP development manageable and repeatable.

 

Research: Develop a Business Continuity Plan

Template: Example BCP Recovery Workflow

Template: Business Continuity Management Policy

Template: BCP Executive Presentation

Tool: BCP Business Impact Analysis Tool

Tool: BCP Maturity Scorecard

 

Disaster Recovery Plan

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You’ll need it for a pandemic scenario if mass absenteeism is going to bring your business to a screeching halt. Cost-effective DR and service continuity starts with identifying what is truly mission critical so you can focus resources accordingly.

 

Research: Create a Right-Sized Disaster Recovery Plan

Template: DRP Recovery Workflow Template

Template: DRP Vendor Evaluation Tool

Template: Severity Definitions and Escalation Rules Template

Tool: DRP Business Impact Analysis Tool

Tool: DRP Maturity Scorecard

 

Network Management

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Make sure your network is ready for the crushing demand that remote workers will put on internet bandwidth, network, and VPN infrastructure. This is the time to solidify the business case for your network modernization project by demonstrating and quantifying the hard dollar value it provides to the business, which in the case of a pandemic response can be the difference between weathering the storm and sinking the ship.

 

Research: Modernize the Network

Template: Network Modernization Roadmap

Template: Network Modernization Executive Presentation Template

Template: Network Modernization RFP Template

Tool: Network Modernization Technology Assessment Tool

 

Prioritize Cost Containment

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The fast-evolving, pandemic-driven economic environment around your organization, sector, and geography will compel quick and decisive cost-cutting efforts. This is not a matter of if, but when, and now is the time to begin reviewing all aspects of IT spend that can potentially be pulled back. Work with the business to understand their cost savings roadmap, and ensure IT’s plans maximize savings without exposing the broader organization to unnecessary risk.

 

Research: Minimize the Damage of IT Cost Cuts

Template: Workforce Planning Workbook

Tool: Cost-Cutting Planning Tool

Tool: SaaS TCO Calculator