Academy of Risk Management Spring Seminar
By: Ashley Western, ACSR, MSM RMI, Commercial Business Development Manager
On April 29, 2010, Cravens Warren hosted it's quarterly Academy of Risk Management series seminar. This Spring's seminar was partner hosted by the Houston underwriting and loss control team of the Chubb Group of Insurance Companies, and featured speakers from Chubb, as well as iSafe Solutions, LP. The ARM's Spring seminar's focus topic was Disaster Planning for Business.
The first presentation was given by Russell Owens, AVP, CSP, ABCP, Vice President of Loss Control at Chubb's Houston office. Russell narrated an excellent presentation on the importance of proper planning for all types of loss scenarios. An interesting fact that was presented is that 75% of all businesses in the United States store both the original and backup copies of critical data on-site. While some effort is encouraged, sensible efforts to store data in multiple locations are more beneficial to diversifying a location risk. Russell also discussed the essential steps of continuity planning with the audience. He recommended a Risk Hazard Analysis, which helps executives understand which risks are inherently severe in nature, and which should be a concern due to the number of occurences. Analyzing both the frequency & severity of probable losses is instrumental in defining the depth at which a continuity plan should address particular hazards. Russell's ability to convey the importance of disaster planning for organizations was well regarded.
The second presentation of the seminar was given by Joe Tischner, President of iSafe Solutions, LP. iSafe Solutions is a professional service organization which provides companies with high end document imaging solutions. Joe's presentation focused on the importance of electronic data storage for important company records. He discussed how formulating files & documents into electronic data can help to greatly reduce the risk of loss of the availability of information that is vital to the continuation of a company after an incident. By utilitzing today's technology, iSafe helps organizations virtually eliminate the risk of data loss. By electronic cataloguing & filing, as well as diversifying the location of data storage between several locations, iSafe's techniques assist businesses to remain in business, despite any incident which may prevent them from operating at their normal physical locations.
Catastrophic contingency planning is a topic which remains at the forefront of Houston's mind; between oil spills, fires, floods, and hurricanes, our city definitely has the potential for major loss in the business economy. However, as discussed in the seminar, proper planning can mitigate the loss that results after an incident. Businesses that secure a proper contingency & continuity plan will be apt to service clients almost immediately, which places those businesses with distinct advantages over competitors who do not plan as proactively.
Academy of Risk Management seminars are hosted by Cravens Warren on a quarterly basis. Each seminar focuses on effective planning and proper identification & management of risks inherent in today's business world. For more information on how you can be a part of the Academy of Risk Management, please contact us.
Academy of Risk Management- Moving Forward with Knowledge
For more information, visit:
http://www.i-safesolutions.com
