The Intelligent Asset Manager

UASI Conference Themes: Questions for Bill Anderson

Brandon Chiat — Mon, 14 May 2012 19:10:00 GMT

The UASI Homeland Security Conference is only two short weeks away. As we rapidly approach the much anticipated event certain themes, specifically the concepts of “whole communities” and resource/information sharing, have emerged. The Intelligent Asset Manager sat down with Bill Anderson, President of the Board of Directors for the National Homeland Security Association, to discuss these emerging themes as well as the importance of common operating software platforms that support emergency managers and first responders. Bill started his career during the Regan-era as a civil defense planner, organizing evacuation plans for large cities in the event of a nuclear catastrophe. In the 1990s, the decade during which climate-change began to dominate the emergency management conversation, Bill became involved in the environmental response to haz-mat spills and incidents. In the post 9/11-era Bill assumed various roles in the emerging homeland security profession dealing with the current suite of issues addressed by emergency managers - the very same issues that will be the focal point of this year’s UASI conference.

Intelligent Asset Manager: What are you looking forward to about the UASI National Homeland Security Conference, will you be presenting? If so on what?

Bill Anderson: I’ll be leading some town hall meetings, with DHS, FEMA and other federal departments (such as the Departments of Justice and Defense, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office) to talk about FEMA grants. What we’ve done in setting up these town halls is to ask all the programs in DHS and the entire federal family to talk about the grant resources and partnerships that are available. This is a new grant-world. In an era of declining resources we are attempting to identify where new opportunities and non-traditional resource exist in the federal arena.

IAM: In your own words would you please describe the concept of “whole communities?”

BA: In the past, emergency management as a profession has a very narrow view when it came to collaboration. We’re individuals with highly specialized skillsets and the general consensus was that we functioned to serve the public, not with the public. The whole communities concept really means, when a disaster incident occurs the entire community, all the private citizens, businesses and institutions – as well as the public sector, are engaged in response efforts. This concept realizes that when a disaster strikes it takes a society functioning together to recover effectively. Emergency managers most include the private sector in the planning process and emphasize resilient self-preparedness. It is a daunting prospect in a lot of ways because it means a change in the way emergency managers operate. The focus has to be has to be placed as much on building partnerships as it is on grant writing. In other words the scope of stakeholders involved is broadening and has created a new paradigm in the emergency management field.

IAM: Why is the concept of whole communities such an important strategy in today’s emergency management community and what are steps emergency managers and first responders can take to bolster preparedness based on this concept?

BA: It involves skillsets that are used to build relationships and partnerships at the local level. Developing community partnerships isn’t just done within local governments. Non-profits and the non-governmental sector play a huge role in developing preparedness and resilience. It’s time to take our proven best practices for planning and exercising and apply them outside of local government through collaboration with partners from the private sector. Citizen engagement and empowerment is key. We need people to understand that when disaster strikes the government might not be there immediately, and they could potentially be without resources for hours and even days. The key is to develop resilience on the citizen level, and that is what whole communities is about to the core: preparing citizens not just in the sense of having physical resources, but increasing their psychological resilience to disasters as well.

IAM: How is the whole communities concept going to be addressed at this year’s UASI conference? Will you be presenting on the topic, if so, what are some of you talking points?

BA: The UASI Conference has a model in which we invite practitioners from around the country to submit a presentation and lecture on their innovative and proven best practices. In every 90-minute session we designate 30 minutes for a collaborative question-and-answer session between the audience and panelists. We are trying to give the conference attendees the best examples of effective, efficient and proven strategies. We’re saving people a lot of time in experimentation by putting them in direct contact with emergency managers who have implemented effective programs.

IAM: A significant aspect to the whole communities concept is engaging in an authentic dialogue. That ties in nicely to the concept of resource and information sharing between emergency management organizations and first responders. Would you discuss the importance of maintaining open lines of communications between jurisdictions and how emergency managers can supplement each other’s resources?

BA: When we talk about information and resource sharing, especially in the whole communities regard, we’re again talking about community engagement and partnership building. The key to strengthening community resilience is through collaboration. Watch what the cities of Los Angeles and Minneapolis are doing, they’ve set the precedent for a truly collaborative whole community – that’s about all I’ll tell for now, you’ll learn the rest at the conference!

IAM: What are some strategies emergency and property managers can employ for coordinating resources? What is the value in deploying a software platform that can help integrate this process? Is such software a growing trend in the industry?

BA: Common operating platforms are hugely valuable when managing an incident. We’re seeing a number of really good models out there. They key is for these software platforms to be flexible, scalable and most importantly, easy to use. Emergency managers and incident coordinators can’t afford to spend 30 minutes getting a system up when a disaster strikes. So because of that we’re seeing an interest in these simple and efficient platforms. These software solutions also have to be shareable between jurisdictions with a low cost of maintenance.

The Guiding Principles of Asset Management

Brandon Chiat — Wed, 09 May 2012 16:38:00 GMT

Check out Eric Beser's blog "The Equipment Manager," on the Emergency Management Magazine website. Eric, E-ISG Asset Intelligence's Chief Technical Officer, discusses fixed and mobile asset management standartds as they apply to property and equipment managers from emergency management organizations.

Check out the Intelligent Asset Manager's posts on effective property management standards:

E-ISG Asset Intelligence's UASI Conference Preview

Brandon Chiat — Wed, 02 May 2012 18:42:00 GMT

The sixth annual UASI (Urban Area Securities Initiative) Conference is coming up, May 22^nd-24^th in Columbus, Ohio. This year’s conference, which brings together partnering UASI agencies and the private sector to discuss emergency preparedness strategies and emerging technologies, will be attended by keynote speaker, the Honorable Timothy Manning – FEMA’s Deputy Administrator for Protection and National Preparedness - as well as potential appearances by President Obama and former Secretary of State, Colin Powell (schedules permitting). The Intelligent Asset Manager sat down with Mike McNutt of the UASI Conference to discuss the themes of this year’s conference, resource sharing and a little get-together known as the Zoo Social.

Intelligent Asset Manager: What are the key themes of this year’s conference and why are they relevant?

Mike McNutt: The theme of this year’s conference is: “see something, say something, do something – together.” The idea behind the theme is to establish lines of communication between the different governmental hierarchies, from the highest-levels of the federal government to the first responders working in the field. As funding is being cut across the board, establishing strong lines of communication between federal, state and local communities is becoming increasingly important.

IAM: How does the UASI conference focus on larger urban areas and regional approaches to emergency management and Homeland Security?

MM: The focus is to integrate communities of all sizes by bringing together the greater national emergency response and preparedness community. Members from different regions across the country will come to together to educate each other on different techniques, strategies and technologies that are being developed to respond to any emergency scenario. The aim is to get everyone on the same page.

IAM: Who are the keynote speakers for this year’s conference, what are their respective areas of expertise and what organizations are they from?

MM: The Honorable Timothy Manning, FEMA’s Deputy Administrator for Protection and National Preparedness, will be delivering the keynote address to the conference. We’ve also sent invitations to President Obama and Colin Powell and are expecting appearances from them depending on their schedules. We have an impressive list of congressman, generals and other high ranking military officials discussing issues of homeland security, state officials talking about things that are going on the local level, and FEMA administrators talking about what’s going on the federal level.

IAM: How will NIMS (National Incident Management System) compliance be addressed at the conference? NIMS describes a comprehensive preparedness cycle (planning, organizing, training, equipping, exercising, evaluating and responding) – how will each of those factors be addressed?

MM: NIMS is not a significant focus. However, NIMS guides every response scenario, so it’s a fundamental part of responding to emergencies and therefore it’s going to be in the background of every discussion. The topics of the actual discussions will range from leveraging social media to increase national preparedness to economic impacts on emergency response and tactical deployments to S.A.I.C. (strategic analysis information centers). These fusion centers bring together a team of emergency managers and public officials from a range of different agencies and backgrounds, such as the FBI, public health, first responders and so on. These teams follow developing trends, analyze a mass amount data, and determine whether or not a situation is a credible threat to domestic homeland security. The conference discussions will focus on how S.A.I.C.s process timelines, establish preparedness plans and develop response scenarios to these credible threats.

IAM: There has been a lot of talk about resource sharing and encouraging interoperability amongst emergency management organizations, specifically with respect to grant funding – how will this be addressed at the conference?

MM: One of the issues that has developed over the last few years in emergency preparedness is that funding is slowly being cut across aboard. That extends from the metropolitan level to state funding for emergency preparedness work - even DHS is being defunded. The focus at this point is: what we can do with the resources we already have at our disposal? We can’t let our guard down, but what can we do is share information, assets and resources. MMRS funds, which used to be an earmark fund for local responders used to purchase equipment for mission critical tasks, are being defunded – but we need to provide our first responders with the equipment they need to do the job. So clearly one of this year’s conference themes is how we can better share assets, resources and information against the backdrop of budget cuts.

IAM: What is the Zoo Social and what opportunities does it offer for conference attendees?

MM: Columbus is the 13^th largest and fastest growing city in the country and a large part of this is because the economy has remained resilient despite the recession. The strength of the economy is due in large part to attractions like the Columbus Zoo which has been voted as the number one zoo in the country, beating out more-well known zoos like San Diego. The zoo is a major asset to the city of Columbus and the conference has rented the zoo for a large party featuring: hors d'oeuvre, cocktails, and live music. In addition, the exhibits will be open and TV personality Jack Hanna, the Director Emeritus of the Columbus Zoo, will be introducing the guests to some the zoo’s animals. Transportation will be provided from the downtown hotels to the zoo and back.

Resource Sharing and Interoperability Through Asset Management

Brandon Chiat — Tue, 01 May 2012 13:41:00 GMT

We’ve all heard the saying: “If you want something done right, you have to do it yourself.” This turn of phrase is usually preceded by a feeling of disappointment; usually someone failing to complete a task the “right” way. Here’s a wild idea: what if doing it “right” was no longer a concept you had to worry about? What if the emphasis was shifted from an individual’s, or an individual organization’s “right way,” and placed on the best practices for your industry? That is the concept behind effective property management. Implementing a property management software platform allows organizations to align themselves along one, mutually agreed upon standard – and this is the first step towards inter-agency cooperation.

Interoperability is a troubling concept to implement simply because so many property managers don’t understand what exactly the concept means. Interoperability for emergency management organizations means the ability to share data and resources across agency and jurisdictional boundaries.

Emergency management organizations must share resources for a variety of reasons. The first, and most obvious, is in support of mission critical tasks. In the event of an emergency, networking with other agencies to determine how to best respond to a disaster scenario is vital. However, this type of rapid response can only be effective if each organization knows the condition of their asset inventory.

Total asset visibility, or the ability to leverage accurate asset data to maximize strengths and minimize weaknesses, is developed through implementing an asset management system. Interoperability can be effective only when total asset visibility has been established across the network of agencies. A system of integrated organizations can better identify a surplus of assets in one agency and transfer those resources to other agencies in need.

This gets to the second reason why organizations need to share resources: grant management. One of the most important responsibilities of a property manager is requesting and allocating federal operating grants. A centralized asset management system ensures that resource sharing, a key competency required for grant allocations under the new federal grant consolidation model, is a smooth process. Demonstrating you have an integrated workflow with other emergency management agencies will prove your compliance with federal regulations.

An effective property management software platform should be flexible. Asset management platforms should provide property managers with greater control of the asset management process. Property managers, in conjunction with partners and end-users, gather and store vital asset data in a centralized database. This knowledge alone distributes the burden of property management equally amongst all involved while also encouraging interoperability between organizations. It’s a domino effect of relief just waiting to be set up.

What’s more, the integrated network of interoperable organizations can only be advanced by improving internal asset management workflows. In other words the only way for emergency management agencies to remain effective, and thus eligible to receive federal funding, is to demonstrate their ability to integrate workflows with other organizations. Accordingly, property management software is a huge step forward towards achieving this cooperation.

Don't Make These Critical Biases in Emergency and Asset Management

Brandon Chiat — Thu, 19 Apr 2012 14:53:00 GMT

What are future emergency managers learning in their degree programs? For one, they’re learning what how to synthesize information into intelligence.

The modern emergency manager functions as a hybrid community planner and public relations expert; designing and administering preparedness exercises and scenarios for first responders while simultaneously satiating public concern for disaster readiness. The intersection between planning and community outreach requires synthesizing gathered information into actionable steps. This is where a fixed and mobile asset management software platform is invaluable. Modern emergency managers are relying on technology to leverage asset data to create disaster preparedness plans before, during and after an emergency. Total asset visibility provides the answers to questions like: how many generators does public works have? Is a certain county’s fire department lacking necessary equipment and can that equipment be reassigned from a neighboring county?

Leveraging fixed and mobile asset data to create total asset visibility converts information into actionable intelligence. Again, intelligence comes from synthesizing that information into choices – determining the impact of one course of action over another. Disaster academia is serving to teach future emergency managers to think holistically in terms of scenarios, such as resource coordination.

Disaster academia is also teaching future emergency managers what not to do.

In the most fundamental sense, emergency managers ensure that analyzed intelligence is as accurate and unbiased as it can be. Biased emergency managers come in many shapes: the former responder who is more tactical than strategic or the former military leader who brazenly knows what should be done better than anyone else. Emergency managers who obtain certifications, bachelors or masters degrees from a higher-education program are taught to think objectively about disaster preparedness. This holistic approach, which encompasses the viewpoints of all stakeholders, effectively removes biases

3 Key Competencies of Emergency and Asset Management Programs

Brandon Chiat — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 14:56:00 GMT

We’ve seen a meteoric rise in the number of disaster and emergency management degree programs. These programs range in focus from cyber-security and database management to disaster response workshops and high-level policy analyses. Despite the design of the individual course, an emergency management curriculum must include the following three competencies. Any prospective student of such a program should be basing their decision on this structure and any graduate of such a program should be able to:

Adopt a “Comprehensive Emergency Management” framework – comprehensive emergency management can best be summarized as: “all hazards, all phases and all actors.” This means emergency managers who are proficient in using new technologies such as fixed and mobile asset management platforms to coordinate with other agencies and jurisdictions to best deploy resources and personnel. The focus is a balanced approach to emergency management capabilities and readiness.
Integrate with other Emergency Managers and Agencies - The property management and emergency management industries are trending towards a culture of interagency cooperation and collaboration. Cooperation has resulted in increased productivity, a repealing of inflexible and inefficient bureaucratic stalling, and most importantly, an economical use of shared resources. Emergency managers must use fixed and mobile asset management software to gain total asset visibility into a range of fixed and mobile asset inventories. This requires that emergency management organizations work to get other governmental organizations within their jurisdiction to “integrate” fixed and mobile asset resources and broader emergency management concerns (such as risk assessment, planning, training, exercise participation) into their thinking, systems and operations.
Master the New Technologies, Technical Systems and Property Management Standards - students need to learn the tools of the trade. Social media is factoring heavily into communicating disaster response efforts and educating the public of potential and on-going disasters. As such, emergency management students must learn to embrace social media strategies in an effort to harness and embrace the medium. Moreover, as FEMA and the DHS impose stricter and more targeted grant stipulations, emergency managers must become proficient with software that manage not only the deployment and maintenance of fixed and mobile asset inventories but their highly-valuable financial data as well such as depreciation. Among the technological topics today’s emergency management students must embrace are:

National Incident Management System (NIMS)
National Response Plan (NRP)
NFPA 1600 (National Fire Protection Association “Standard for Disaster/Emergency Management and Business Continuity Programs”)
Certified Emergency Manager credential administered by the International Association of Emergency Managers
Geospatial and geographical information systems (GPS and GIS)
Communications systems
Warning systems
Computers and hazard and emergency management related software packages

Vote for E-ISG Asset Intelligence in the MassChallenge Competition

Brandon Chiat — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 18:37:00 GMT

E-ISG Asset Intelligence recently entered the MassChallenge competition, which is designed to support high-impact, early-stage entrepreneurs.

E-ISG Asset Intelligence is an emerging provider of innovative and cost-effective software solutions for managing fixed and mobile assets. To capture and maximize growth opportunities, we are currently seeking outside investment to bolster our sales and marketing efforts. That’s why we couldn’t be more excited to get involved in the MassChallenge competition, which identifies the world's most promising, high-impact startups and E-ISG Asset Intelligence fully intends to be among the 125-finalists – but we need your help!

You’ve experienced the power of our robust fixed and mobile asset management platform, Visual Asset Manager first-hand. As users and even potential users, you’re familiar with Visual Asset Manager’s dynamic ability to streamline the inventory and asset life cycle management process of any size business or organization.

At E-ISG Asset Intelligence we strive to deliver the most innovative fixed and mobile asset solutions in the market. Help us continue to deliver this standard of excellence by voting for E-ISG Asset Intelligence and Visual Asset Manager in the MassChallenge startup competition and by sharing this blog post and voting opportunity with your social networks.

Disaster Academia and Fixed and Mobile Asset Management

Brandon Chiat — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 20:43:00 GMT

The maturation of the emergency management field is being driven in part by the developing institution of disaster academia. Older emergency managers are moving into semi-retirement, adopting new roles as educators and consultants. Accordingly we are seeing a rise in independent organizations that evaluate and accredit emergency management programs against a set of national standards. These standards are similar to the standards of property management (part 2, part 3, part 4, part 5, part 6) we discussed in March, in that they evaluate an entire jurisdiction’s emergency management preparedness.

We have talked extensively about how training promotes readiness and resiliency in disaster response efforts. Practicing response scenarios is a proven method towards efficient and effective disaster mitigation. However, when it comes to developing standards for a jurisdiction’s preparedness, the focus must be on education. It’s the difference between knowing how and knowing why.

As Professor Robert Essenhigh, of the Ohio State University, was quoted in a September 2010 article in Emergency Management Magazine, higher-education in emergency management is: “the difference between being trained as pilot to fly a plane and being educated as an aeronautical engineer and knowing why the plane flies and then being able to improve its design so that it will fly better.”

The intersection between training and education is rooted in the discovery and implementation of new knowledge. This is related to the concept of total asset visibility. Emergency managers and property custodians who have the ability to leverage the data of their organization’s fixed and mobile asset inventory will be able to maximize the productivity of those assets while incurring significant financial savings.

Not surprisingly, mastering property and inventory management systems are an integral part to emergency management higher-education. The FEMA Higher Education Conference, which mandates a course of study that includes social science research and strategic leadership development, places particular emphasis on the collaboration between organizations. Resource sharing and agency interoperability are the cornerstones of modern emergency management and emergency management higher-education.

The modern emergency manager must be equally versed in the social science of emergency management while also demonstrating proficiency for fixed and mobile asset management techniques. Just as training and education intersect at acquiring new knowledge, so too do theory and practice intersect in the application of that knowledge. In this case the ability to maintain the concept of total asset visibility in order to effectively deploy fixed and mobile assets during a crisis response scenario while also being able to share those resources across jurisdictional boundaries as needed.

How 9/11 Changed Emergency and Property Management

Brandon Chiat — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 16:19:00 GMT

Emergency management is a growing field, one whose evolution is at a unique crossroad. We can roughly divide the history of the emergency management industry into two eras: pre-September 11^th and post-September 11^th. In the pre-9/11 era, emergency management was largely centered on natural disaster mitigation and recovery. Accordingly, training was based on experience and mentorship.

However, the tragic events of 9/11 fundamentally changed the culture of emergency management. The paradigm shift now called for a unified response, which in turn required an academic approach to the profession of disaster management.

September 11^th was the catalyst to redefine an entire industry thought process. In response to the worst attack on American soil since Pearl Harbor, emergency management began to develop higher education degrees, certifications, standards and associations that championed collaboration among different disciplines.

Not surprisingly, there are a lot more emergency managers in the days since 9/11 than there were before. The profession is in-demand, with more jobs being created, and more specifically, more jobs requiring (or preferring) degrees and certifications more degree programs, more CEM designations. What's more, emergency managers must now be proficient in property management, understanding the robust qualities of total asset visibility, and maximizing on fixed and mobile asset inventories to encourage resource sharing across agency jursidictions.

The traditional feeder sources for emergency managers - the military, fire and law enforcement professionals - are no longer ideally suited for these new compentencies. Since 9/11, more than 150 colleges and universities have begun offering degrees in emergency management and homeland security. A decade before September 11^th there was only one B.A. program for emergency management in the nation.

This educational machine is producing a new crop of professionals, young college graduates and other mid-career professionals who are pursuing higher-level degrees in emergency management. They have a broad background in emergency management and the enthusiasm and idealism that comes with youth.

The field of disaster study has grown exponentially demanding that emergency managers rise to a more professional level, broaden their horizons and get more education and training in areas they might not have considered before.

September 11^th initiated a culture-changing response to planning for disasters of all types. The ensuing fallout has elevated the status of the emergency management profession in need of serious academia. However, the traditional old guard is steadfast in the belief that field-experience trumps classroom in any situation.

As such, April’s blog-theme will be about the changing nature of emergency management and the role formal academic study plays in disaster mitigation.

Property Management Standards - Part 6

Brandon Chiat — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 19:10:00 GMT

Winding down this series on property management standards, we’ll again address three new standards in this blog entry. This week’s topics will be: Moveable Property Storage, Management of Low Risk Property and Uniform Data Management in Asset Management Records Systems.

The standard of Moveable Property Storage establishes a practice for storing and warehousing moveable property. The first step for storing and warehousing movable property is to know what you have and where it is; a concept known as total asset visibility. Sounds basic, but for many, this is a challenge. Having an asset management system in place will ensure that this step is taken care of already. Specifically, the standard addresses the physical protection and control over an organization’s fixed and mobile asset inventory. Additionally it is important to balance the storage cost with the cost of protecting these assets. The Moveable Property Storage standard helps organizations to address security expenditures with the same level of importance as resource expenditures.

Almost every organization classifies their fixed and mobile assets in terms of risk. The Standard Practice for Management of Low Risk Property sets a precedent for managing your LRP by shifting your focus from risk avoidance to risk management. Risk is inevitable; assets will get lost, destroyed or stolen at one point or another. How you manage that occurrence through your risk assessment plan and your daily management of high to low risk assets will determine how those risks truly affect your bottom line. The following is a list of criteria (though not inclusive of all possibilities) for determining the risk level of your assets:

Asset scarcity
Technological obsolescence
Lead time, standardization
Asset criticality
Asset sensitivity
Dollar value
Environmental regulations
Level of national security/threat
Schedule constraints
Vulnerability of the asset
Societal or personal safety
Contractual agreements.

Using these factors, organizations can separate the HRP from the LRP and effectively manage their resources dedicated to these assets.

The Standard Practice for Uniform Data Management in Asset Management Records System is a pretty straight forward standard mandating the regular upkeep of accurate asset data reports. Maintaining asset data helps organizations to improve operational and strategic management capabilities at all phases of the asset lifecycle. We’ve discussed previously how important it is to have an accurate record keeping system and in previous blogs have even covered how to choose a system that’s right for you, but this standard stresses the importance of having a uniform system. One thing I’ve learned over the years in property management is that uniformity and consistency are two words that go hand in hand with effective asset management. Maintaining data integrity, consistency and usability will lend your system to being an effective uniform data management records system.

Have you determined yet if your property management is living up to the ASTM standards? Are you keeping uniform data or do you need to find a system that’s right for you still? A broad based internet search will send you a lot of information. Make sure you know what you need before you start your search.

We hope these blogs have enlightened you on some of the standards in practice in property management today and we encourage you to join in discussions on these standards and more through the ASTM or your local NPMA branch.

Property Management Standards - Part 5

Brandon Chiat — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 18:38:00 GMT

Let’s start off by addressing a change: the Standard Practice for Calculation of Equipment Movement Velocity (EMV) is now being revised to “Standard Practice for Calculation of Asset Movement Velocity (AMV)." It is generally accepted that the AMV is a measure of calculating how frequently assets are moving in, out of, and around an organization. If an asset is primarily stationary, it will have a smaller AMV than an asset that moves frequently. Tracking and calculating the AMV of assets enables property managers to make comparative insights to the operational aspects of their fixed and mobile asset inventory. Knowing the frequency of acquisitions, dispositions, and moves in a facility can greatly improve ROI, productivity, and the bottom line.

The next standard we’re going to look at is the Standard Practice for Classification of Equipment Physical Location Information. This standard reviews the terminology for classifying an asset’s location information. When it comes to classification, it’s a commonly held best practice to sick with pre-existing, easy-to-remember naming conventions. For example, if the offices in a given facility are numbered according to a preset system, fixed and mobile assets in that facility’s inventory should be labeled with the same naming convention. If, however, the locations have no existing naming structure, it is a good idea to determine, establish, and implement such a naming convention. Once accepted, property managers should label assets according to this structure and be consistent with how locations are categorized in the future. Keep in mind that changes in naming conventions can be confusing and result in inefficiencies that are detrimental to your fixed and mobile asset workflow such as misplaced property or misrepresented asset-data.

Tracking asset data for equipment is addressed in the Standard Practice for Data Characteristics of Equipment Records. While there is a set expectation of asset data for equipment that should be maintained, “optional,” or organizationally specific, data will also need to be maintained. By “optional” it is understood that every organization will have their own needs and specific data to track that may vary slightly or vastly from another organization. This equipment data will provide pertinent information on usage, condition, size, and even status, amongst other elements, that is useful and sometimes even mandatory for management and users.

Classification, move frequency, and characteristics terminology are three fairly obvious features of asset management. These standards will help you delve a little further into the reasoning and process behind each. In which area do you feel your asset management is the strongest? Do you have great AMV calculations, or are your data characteristics unparalleled in your industry? Leave us a comment below and let us know how great your doing!

Property Management Standards - Part 4

Brandon Chiat — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 16:50:00 GMT

The Equipment Management Process Maturity (EMPM) standard covers the processes for both internal and external equipment management. The EMPM model does include all aspects of equipment management and was created for all equipment-holding companies however, it is worth noting that the EMPM may not be the only acceptable assessment model available.

The EMPM provides clear, easy to understand assessments of an organization’s internal property use. The model makes clear to property managers which departments and areas lack resources, and accordingly, help identify patterns in which fixed and mobile assets can be more efficiently utilized. In this respect, property managers can track and assess the improvement of their asset management system because the EMPM model draws attention to the processes of extensive maturity. Extensive maturity refers to departments in which changes or additional resources are required to achieve process improvements. Similarly, the EMPM standard is useful for external property management as it provides a basis to compare fixed and mobile asset management between organizations, which provide efficiency yielding, previously unavailable insights.

Next we’ll look into the Standard Practice for Determining the Life-Cycle Cost of Ownership of Personal Property. This standard establishes a consensus for Life-Cycle Cost (LCC) of mission-critical property that is used to accomplish the primary objectives of an organization. The service life of assets can divided into four stages, each with several separate yet potentially interrelated sub-stages:

Budgeting/planning
Acquisition
Utilization
Disposal

These four stages provide the frame work for the last standard we’ll discuss today, the Standard for Prioritizing Asset Resources in Acquisition, Utilization, and Disposal. This standard determines the Asset Priority Index (API) for prioritizing asset resources during acquisition, utilization, and disposal. The API provides property managers with a method for prioritizing asset resources based on their predefined criteria. API’s are used in a variety of ways, such as deferred maintenance approaches, security design and analyses, business continuity/risk analyses and decision making on disposition of assets. Overall the API is a metric that is used to communicate the importance of a company’s equipment in terms of mission criticality and security.

The standards we discussed today covered prioritizing assets, determining LCC, and EMPM for assessing and improving asset expenditures. How does your company prioritize assets? Do you track life cycle cost of ownership? If you’re managing equipment, do you follow the EMPM model to make sure you’re getting the most use out of your equipment as it matures? Leave a comment below and let us know how you’re measuring up to these models.

Property Management Standards - Part 3

Brandon Chiat — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 18:46:00 GMT

Guest Contributor: Amanda Watkins

Last week’s standards discussion was centered on standard practices and terms in specific areas of property management. Today we’ll explore how the principles of property management are established, as well as touch on disposal of property and how property management affects your career and development training.

The standard of “Establishing the Guiding Principles of Property Management” was based on a need for a unified set of property management standards. Many organizations were establishing their own policies and standards based on their own property management needs. Unfortunately these standards did not always reflect true “best practices,” for property management, nor were they relatable to the standards of other organizations. Consequently, the guiding principles were intended to create a basis for every organization to follow.

The idea was to exercise commonality amongst the industries, increase ease and efficiency and thereby increase effectiveness. Accordingly, commonality is the basis for resource sharing across jurisdictions. It is from the “Guiding Principles of Property Management,” that Emergency Management Organizations – or any organization that utilizes fixed and mobile assets to achieve mission critical tasks – can coordinate their workflows.

Simply put: if it’s easier to do, it’s easier to use and if it’s easier to use, it’s more likely to get used. In effect, this standard provided the framework for an efficient fixed and mobile asset system to acquire property, utilize property, and dispose of property.

This leads us into discussion of our next standard: “Disposal of Property.” Disposal of property is more than just best practices for removing assets from your inventory; it also deals with properly re-utilizing fixed and mobile assets thereby maximizing value. The disposal of property standard ensures that property managers maximize the asset’s residual value, or the salvageable materials that can be rescued prior to donating, scrapping or recycling (or e-cycling) any resource.

The Disposal of Property Standard isn’t telling you how to classify your disposal methods, how to dispose (because those methods will vary from industry to industry and even state to state depending on laws), or the specifics on environmental safety regulations. Rather, what the Disposal of Property Standard does do, is deal with the very vital last step in the fixed and mobile asset life cycle tracking process.

Finally, we’ll look into E2379-09: the Standard Practice for Property Management for Career Development and Training. There are many educational opportunities for Property Managers and therefore a common curriculum must be set in place. This is the basis for the Career Development and Training Standard. PPCD (Personal Property Career Development) programs are governed by this standard and strive to make sure that no matter how or where the education in this field comes from, all PPCD programs will meet the standards for development.

According to this standard, no one organization’s education will differ from another’s. This cohesion in curriculum minimizes confusion in the property management industry. Essentially, conflicting schools of training would entirely negate the very idea of property management standards. In this sense, effective property management standards begin with effective property management education, and the Career Development and Training Standard ensures this.

Join us in the comments below to discuss your Property Management education. Have you taken classes or courses anywhere? The National Property Management Association offers certification courses that have continuing education credits associated with them. There are also several degree programs out there, like these offered via the NPMA.

Property Management Standards - Part 2

Brandon Chiat — Thu, 08 Mar 2012 20:00:00 GMT

Guest Contributor: Amanda Watkins

Today I’m going to briefly touch on three standards: Standard Practice for Assessing Loss, Damage, or Destruction of Property; Standard Practice for Physical Inventory of Durable, Moveable Property; and Standard Terminology for Property and Asset Management.Most people and companies have insurance. It’s a smart investment for any organization, regardless of the quantity or cost of their assets. Many will think that dealing with loss, damage and destruction (LDD) will start when they have to turn in a claim to their insurance company. But in the property management world, knowing your LDD projections ahead of an event can save your company money. That being said, it’s easy to see how the LDD standard is applied to our discussions of business continuity and disaster preparedness.

LDD is an indication of the effectiveness of property operations in a company. Excessive LDD is an indicator of poor management, little control and possibly lack of compliance. Preparing for and projecting the probabilities of LDD is essential in assessing and managing risk in any organization. Having projections ahead of time for your potential LDD will set acceptable levels of loss, damage and destruction. Every company expects to have some LDD, but you need to determine how much loss is acceptable for your organization. Are you a multi-billion dollar company that expects to have a LDD every year of ~$100,000? That’s not so much in the scope of the company’s assets cost and ROI. But if you are a small company that brings in $200,000/year, then $100,000 LDD is a lot for your company. Addressing and reporting on loss, damage or destruction of tangible property is the first step to managing and minimizing LDD. This is a critical standard to establish the economic success of the company.

The next standard I want to discuss is the Standard Practice for Physical Inventory of Durable, Moveable Property. Sounds pretty self explanatory but there is a lot that goes into planning and executing a physical inventory. We have discussed how to do a physical inventory before but today I want to focus on why.

A physical inventory is going to:

Determine the accuracy of your existing records and update them
Assess losses, damages and destruction that has occurred since the last inventory/audit
Help identify and raise discussion/instruction on processes and assess what is/is not working
Report on quantities on hand and identify shortages
Provide preventative measure against theft, damage, misuse and loss if people know they are responsible for the assets and have to report on their location and status at regular intervals
Update records to include new, un-inventoried items

This all contributes to the concept of total asset visibility, which is an insight into what fixed and mobile assets you have, where those assets are located and who is accountable for those assets. Total asset visibility is essential for maintaining an effective asset inventory. Most companies or agencies will have their own set of necessary data and accordingly, will develop their own, customizable protocol for tracking that highly valuable information. (Read here, here and here about how to choose the right asset management system for you.) Not everyone uses an asset management system but having some kind of system in place, some guidelines at least, are recommended so that there is a workflow for the inventory process.

Lastly, I’ll review the Standard Terminology for Property and Asset Management. Basically, this standard will list out the terminology every property manager should be familiar with. This can become quite a large document as terms evolve and new ones are added constantly. If you are ever unsure of a term, check with ASTM, or the NPMA. Becoming familiar with a lot of the standard terminology is something that comes with use and experience. But without a doubt, it’s always best to ask if you’re unsure of something. As our teachers used to tell us, there’s no such thing as a stupid question.

So those are the three standards for today’s discussion. Leave us a comment and tell me what your take is on these standards. Are you familiar with them? Have you had to reference them in your property management? How do you handle Terms, LDD, and Physical Inventories?

Property Management Standards

Brandon Chiat — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 16:24:00 GMT

As tornadoes and severe weather continue to ravage Indiana and other parts of the mid-West, disaster preparedness, business continuity, and community resilience has unfortunately once again been forced to the front of our minds. However, while it is important to remain ever-vigilant of such disasters through a state of constant-preparedness, it is time to shift our focus to a different topic.

March brings with it the promise of a new month, of spring-time, warmer weather, and of course, a new blog topic. In March we will be discussing the standards of property manager and without further delay I will turn the reigns over to our resident property management expert, Amanda Watkins.

Guest Contributor: Amanda Watkins

Prior to 1990 there was little discussion of standards in the property management profession. In most people’s view, there was no need for them. Government property was covered under the Federal Acquisition Regulation act (FAR) Part 45 and the Federal Property Management Regulations (FPMR) so everyone thought that property was covered. According to the National Property Management Association (NPMA), “property” literally meant “Government Property.”

Of course, now we know better!

In the late nineties, the focus of the NPMA began to change to meet the needs of the various industries, as the NPMA assumed a leadership role to address the lack of standards in property management. Rather than just focusing on the Government property, there was now a recognized need for other industries to have property standards as well. This joining of these two “worlds” resulted in a more cohesive opportunity for resource-sharing between the government, private sector, medical and educational industries. Together with ASTM, the NPMA and Committee E53 assess the need for, develop, create and edit standards.

These Standards are considered living documents that change and evolve to grow with the needs of Property Management. The NPMA has this to say about the ASTM standards, directly from www.NPMA.org :

“In June 2000, the first tangible step was taken toward achieving a consensus standardization policy for the property industry when Committee E53 on Property Management Systems was officially organized. Established via a partnership between NPMA and ASTM International, Committee E53 is the official home for the development of management systems criteria, including performance standards, practices, metrics, and methods of effectiveness for the conduct of management and administration activities for durable and movable assets. Specific areas of interest include all aspects of personal property management from determination of needs and initial acquisition through final disposition, including receipt, identification and marking, record keeping, custodial and administrative accountability, reporting, consumption, maintenance, movement, storage, inventory, control, utilization, and disposition.”

Throughout March, this blog will discuss some of the different standards, what they mean, and how they affect your role in property management. Keep in mind: this is not the complete list of standards, as there are currently 100,000 (give or take) standards in practice. We’re only going to discuss the ones currently under jurisdiction of Committee E53 and those that affect asset management as relative to property manager.

Active standards under the jurisdiction of Committee E53

E2131-09 Standard Practice for Assessing Loss, Damage, or Destruction of Property
E2132-01(2007) Standard Practice for Physical Inventory of Durable, Moveable Property
E2135-10a Standard Terminology for Property and Asset Management
E2279-09 Standard Practice for Establishing the Guiding Principles of Property Management
E2306-11 Standard Practice for Disposal of Personal Property
E2379-09 Standard Practice for Property Management for Career Development and Training
E2452-10 Standard Practice for Equipment Management Process Maturity (EMPM) Model
E2453-05 Standard Practice for Determining the Life-Cycle Cost of Ownership of Personal Property
E2495-07 Standard Practice for Prioritizing Asset Resources in Acquisition, Utilization, and Disposition
E2497-06 Standard Practice for Calculation of Equipment Movement Velocity (EMV)
E2499-06 Standard Practice for Classification of Equipment Physical Location Information
E2604-09 Standard Practice for Data Characteristics of Equipment Records
E2605-08 Standard Practice for Receiving Property
E2606-08 Standard Practice for Receipt Notification as a Result of Tangible Property Movement
E2607-08 Standard Practice for Cannibalization/Reclamation of Serviceable Equipment Components to Support Demand Requirements
E2608-08 Standard Practice for Equipment Control Matrix (ECM)
E2631-09 Standard Practice for Physical Placement of an Entity-Controlled Supplemental Identification Label
E2671-10 Standard Practice for Defining Movements, Shipments, and Transfers of Tangible Property
E2672-09 Standard Practice for Identification and Categorization of Tooling
E2674-09 Standard Practice for Assessment of Impact of Mobile Data Storage Device (MDSD) Loss
E2675-09 Standard Practice for Property Management System Outcomes
E2676-09 Standard Practice for Tangible Property Mobility Index (MI)
E2715-09 Standard Practice for Moveable Property Storage
E2811-11 Standard Practice for Management of Low Risk Property (LRP)
E2812-11 Standard Practice for Uniform Data Management in Asset Management Records Systems

Total Asset Visibility and Proactive Recovery - Part II

Brandon Chiat — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 15:11:00 GMT

Resuming operations is the end-goal of any effective business continuity / disaster preparedness plan. The more resolute the plan, the faster your business can return to its normal operations. In addition to saving your business untold financial losses, an expedient return to normal operations also results in a quicker recovery time for the community at large. We have discussed at length the role the private sector plays in the economic recovery of the communities in which they do business. Therefore business resilience results in community resilience.Here are a few tips to resume operations soon after an emergency or disaster:

Immediately activate your predetermined recovery team. Brief them on the established priorities you reviewed during practice scenarios and trust them to execute the recovery plan. Also, be sure to brief all employees, even those not directly involved in the recovery efforts.
Continue to ensure the safety of personnel on the property. Your recovery team is most vulnerable during the immediate recovery process, avoid a secondary disaster by ensuring security at the incident scene at all times.
Keep detailed records. Audio recording, photograph, and video evidence is of paramount importance towards your insurance claim. Your insurance policy will help you return to normal business operations as soon as possible.
Account for all damage-related costs. Establish special work-order numbers and change codes for purchases and repair work.
Follow notification procedures. Notify employees’ families about the status of personnel on the property. Notify off-duty personnel about work status and overall job security. Notify insurance provider and appropriate government agencies.
Physically secure your facility. Protect undamaged property by restoring power, sealing vulnerable openings to your facilities, removing smoke, water, and other debris, and restoring sprinkler systems.
Conduct an investigation. Coordinate actions with appropriate government agencies.
Salvage whatever fixed and mobile assets you can. Segregate damaged fixed and mobile assets from the undamaged property in your fixed and mobile asset inventory. Keep damaged goods on hand until an insurance adjuster has visited the premises.
Audit your fixed and mobile asset inventory for damaged goods. This is where maintaining total asset visibility is crucial – knowing the number and condition of your fixed and mobile assets prior to a disaster will help you reconcile the damage following an incident. Think of total asset visibility as your baseline from which to compare the current status of your assets against the pre-disaster status. This is how you assess damage and loss.
Assess the value of damaged property. Assess the impact of business interruption.
Restore equipment and property. For major repair work, review restoration plans with the insurance adjuster and appropriate government agencies.
Maintain contact with customers and suppliers.

Employee Support – Your employees are your most vital asset and this is especially true in the days and weeks following a disaster. Take care of your employees by considering these services you can provide or arrange for:

Cash advances on salary and pay rates
Guaranteed salary continuation
Flexible/reduced work hours during recovery efforts
Crisis counseling
Care packages
Day care

Total Asset Visibility: 3 Factors to Proactive Disaster Recovery

Brandon Chiat — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 17:03:00 GMT

Disaster recovery and restoration for businesses and organizations is not all that different from a community’s recovery. In fact, as we have stated in previous blog posts, community resilience is directly correlated with the continuity plans of its private sector. That being said, the recovery focus for businesses is geared more to resumption of services, and as such, the disaster recovery bottom line for businesses is to keep personnel employed and normal operations running – hopefully without much time lost at all.

There are three critical factors that play into your organization’s ability to resume normal operations following an emergency. They are:

Planning Considerations –Now is the time to execute the business continuity / disaster preparedness plan you have worked so hard to develop. Your team has achieved total asset visibility and identified the critical-operations and systems that must be brought on-line. Put all that practice into action and follow your plan. While you are doing so, make sure to document the process by taking photographs and videotape of the damage. This will be helpful both for insurance purposes and for future recovery efforts. If the damage to your fixed and mobile asset iventory is far more severe that you had accounted for, consider making contractual arrangements with vendors for post-emergency services such as record preservation and equipment repair.

Continuity of Management – Assume that not all vital fixed and mobile assets and key personnel will be readily available immediately following the disaster. Ensure that the recovery process is executed flawlessly by establishing a chain of command that can transition authority seamlessly. Establishing authority is a key component to any disaster recovery plan for this very reason. Your plan has already established clear procedures and protocol for:

Assuring the chain of command
Maintain lines of succession for key personnel
Moving to alternate headquarters

Insurance Policies – Most companies discover that they are not properly insured only after they have suffered the devastating loss of a disaster. Lack of appropriate insurance can be financially devastating and is the single greatest deterrent to reestablishing normal business operations in a timely manner. Accordingly, insurance providers must be included in any disaster preparedness / business continuity plans. Pertinent questions to ask insurance providers include:

How will my property be valued?
Is my property up to standards and codes? How will this effect my policy?
How much insurance am I required carrying to avoid becoming a co-insurer?
What causes of loss does my policy cover?
What are my deductibles?
What does my policy require me to do in the event of a loss?
What types of records and documentation will you need to see? (Ask yourself: are records in a safe place where they can be obtained securely after a disaster?)
Am I covered for lost income in the event of business interruption because of loss? How long is coverage provided for? How long is my coverage for lost income if my business is closed by order of a civil authority?
To what extent am I covered for reduced income due to customers’ inability to return to my business following a disaster?
How will my emergency management program influence my rates?

After an emergency, immediately assess the impact of the disaster on business neighbors and the community. Remember, as a business leader you are also a community leader, and while you should never overstep your authority in your community’s disaster recovery efforts, you appropriate actions will have long-lasting effects.

Fixed Asset Management Plans: 5 Tips for Community Outreach

Brandon Chiat — Fri, 17 Feb 2012 16:32:00 GMT

An organization or business’ relationship with the greater-community will influence that organization’s ability to protect personnel, fixed and mobile assets, vital asset data and swiftly return to normal operations. In previous discussions we have reviewed the importance of the public-private partnership, and the private sector’s commitment and responsibility to their community at large. While local businesses play an integral role in the resilience of their community all organizations, from the tiniest mom-and-pop outfit to the largest corporations must involve outside organizations in their emergency management plans. It is important to note that business leaders are also community leaders; that being said, if public offices, emergency managers, and first responders have not designated you as a point of contact for the community or if you have not clearly established your role as a spokesperson or point of contact for the community, your efforts will, in fact, be detrimental to the recovery efforts.

Here are five tips for involving the greater-community in any organization’s emergency management, disaster preparedness, or business continuity plan:

Maintain an open dialogue – Open lines of communication between community leaders, community organizations and utilities departments, first responders, government agencies, and business leaders is the only way to bolster resilience. Business leaders are also community leaders, so executives should take it upon themselves to schedule regular meetings with community emergency personnel to review emergency plans and procedures. Talk about what you’re doing to prepare for emergencies; explain your concern for the community’s welfare and discuss the resources you can make available in a disaster scenario. It is important to establish common interests and concerns – this is where resource and information sharing become essential. Beyond meeting with emergency personnel and first responders businesses should engage citizens to determine their needs and concerns regarding disaster scenarios.

Whether they can verbalize their concerns or not community members want to know:

What are the different hazards in potential disaster scenarios?
What programs are in place to respond to emergencies?
How will a disaster affect the community?
What is the community’s role during a disaster?
What is your facility’s role in a disaster scenario?
What services will your organization provide?

Furthermore, businesses should sponsor and lead disaster drills and exercises that involve community fire, police, and other first responders. Volunteer your facility as a common meeting ground and lead walk-through tours with community response groups. Positioning your business at the core of your community’s disaster response efforts not only helps the community, it ensures your business is protected as well.

Establish mutual aid agreements – to avoid confusion and conflict in an emergency scenario, establish mutual aid agreements between your business and first responders. Mutual aid agreements can address any number of activities or resources that might be needed in an emergency such as:

Providing for firefighting and HAZMAT response
Providing shelter space, emergency supplies, and medical attention for displaced community members
Providing business facilities to act as a common-meeting during an evacuation

These agreements should:

Clearly define the type of assistance each party will provide
Identify the chain of command for activating and realizing that agreement during a disaster
Define the communication channels and point-of-contact personnel between the two parties

Mutual aid agreements imply a mutually beneficial relationship, so make sure those first responders are included in training exercises whenever possible.

Community Service – In community-wide emergencies, businesses and organizations of all sizes are often asked to assist the community with: personnel, equipment, shelter, training, storage, shelter facilities, funding, and transportation. There is no way to predict the demands a community could place on your company’s resources. Consequently, it helps to be proactive and engage the community before a disaster. Take it upon yourself to organize non-perishable food and medical supply drives, spearhead community outreach events that engage citizens, identify potential vulnerabilities in community infrastructure and work with the public to remedy those gaps in preparedness.

Public Information – When disasters strike the community will want to know the nature of the incident, the disaster’s effect on the public’s safety and health, and most importantly, what is being done to actively remedy the situation. As a community and business leader your role is to leverage your visibility as a public figure to address these questions reliably and confidently. Determine the audiences that may effected by an emergency situation and deliver your message directly to them. Provide thorough and straight forward answers; be sure to include all vital community organizations such as emergency management agencies, public offices, religious groups, etc.

However, it is vitally important to note: DO NOT over step your boundaries. Sending conflicting or unauthorized messages is extremely detrimental to the recovery process, so if you have not established your role as a liaison or point of contact between the public and public offices and first responders prior to the incident, then do not begin to act in that capacity during the incident.

Media Relations – In a disaster scenario the media are the most important link to the public. Develop and maintain positive relationship with media outlets in your immediate community. Determine the local media’s needs and interest, just as you did with citizens and community organizations. Clearly explain your contingency plans for making available your business’ resources and personnel to help in a disaster scenario. Moreover, establish a communications plan with local media and determine how to convey important information, vital to public safety, to those media outlets during an emergency:

Designate a trained spokesperson, and alternate spokesperson, from your organization to represent your business during an emergency. This person should be confident and articulate.
Make sure to set up a media briefing area in your facility, if your business has been identified as a common-meeting area during an evacuation or disaster scenario
Establish security procedures
Establish procedures for ensuring that information is complete, accurate, and approved in an expedient manner for public release
Determine an appropriate and useful way of community techinal information
Prepare background information about your business’ and facility’s capabilities in advance of a disaster scenario.

Do’s of Media Relations:

Do give all media equal access to information
When appropriate conduct press briefings and provide interview opportunities to local and national media alike
Do observe media deadlines
Do escort media personnel to ensure safety
Do keep records of all information released
Do provide press releases whenever possible

Don’ts of Media Relations:

Do not speculate on the incident
Do not engage with media as an authority figure if you have not been predesignated to do so – conflicting messages are the most detrimental factor in recovery efforts
Do not permit unauthorized personnel to release information
Do not cover up or misrepresent facts to the media
Do not place blame on any one person or organization during the recovery efforts.

Profit from your Asset Management and Disaster Preparedness Plan

Brandon Chiat — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 21:22:00 GMT

The last several blog posts have demonstrated the internal value of preparing and sustaining a disaster preparedness plan for your business or organization. Preparedness and resilience are vital components in any business plan, no matter the size of the organization. But have you considered the external value of selling your contingency plans to other organizations? Savvy emergency managers recognize the added value of marketing a well-articulated plan, easy-to implement plan to other executives.

There is a well-established industry behind outsourcing asset management and business continuity needs and it’s important to note potential competition. The major players in the business recovery field are IBM and SunGard. Hewlett-Packard tends to focus more on the professional design, integration, and consulting services around disaster recovery. However with a growing number of companies, both large and small, outsourcing their business continuity and recovery efforts, this market is steadily growing.

Data storage, mobile phone units, remote workstations and other fixed and mobile asset tracking are often outsourced, simply because it makes more sense than purchasing extra equipment or space that may never be used. In the days after September 11^th, disaster recovery vendors restored systems and provided temporary office space, complete with telephones and Internet access for dozens of displaced companies.

While your organization may not be inclined to make a major paradigm shift into disaster recovery implementation or consulting, it is prudent to recognize that both your peers and competitors would be willing to pay significantly for a proven recovery plan. As we have been discussing, designing and implementing preparedness plans for any business poses some significant challenges. Certain organizations may not have the resources, or may not be willing to devote the resources, to developing such a plan. They may also struggle with developing or maintaining total asset visibility. This is where the opportunity lies.

By developing a successful business continuity plan, your organization is in the unique position to replicate and scale that plan for other businesses. Address the target company’s need for disaster recovery through analysis and documentation of their potential financial losses. Confer with property custodians to determine the needs of their fixed and mobile asset inventory. Work with their legal and financial departments to document the total losses per day that the company could potentially face if a quick and effective recovery was not immediately implemented.

By thoroughly reviewing your business continuance and disaster recovery plans, you can identify the gaps in preparedness that may prevent a successful recovery and convey these vulnerabilities to others. Remember: disaster recovery and business continuance are nothing more than risk avoidance. Senior managers understand this point clearly when significant risk is clearly demonstrated. Make sure you illustrate the great risk of having an incomplete disaster recovery plan just as you did when pitching the original plan to your own executives.

Asset Management and Disaster Preparedness Tips for Small Businesses

Brandon Chiat — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 20:28:00 GMT

Small-to-medium-sized businesses are the most vulnerable in a disaster scenario. When you consider that America's small-businesses form the backbone of the nation's economy - small businesses alone account for more than 99 percent of all companies with employees, employ 50% of all private sector workers and provide nearly 45 percent of the nation's payroll – their preparedness for a disaster scenario is of paramount importance.

We have been discussing the importance of disaster planning and the role business continuity plays in a business’, and therefore a community’s, resilience. However, the way in which a small or medium sized business prepares for a disaster is different from that of a larger corporation. Smaller organizations face added challenges that their corporate colleagues simply do not.

For example, smaller organizations often don’t own the building in which they do business; they may also not own the production machinery or other vital fixed and mobile asset resources vital to their operations. Accordingly here are some helpful tips for small business owners to consider when devising their disaster preparedness plans:

Start your preparation by identifying what your organization needs to do in order to buffer itself from damage. For example, even if you don’t own the building or facilities in which you do business, you can still minimize your losses by preparing your workspace to prevent damage to fixed and mobile assets.
To do this, determine what production machinery, computers, and other essential assets are vital to keeping your business operational during and after a disaster scenario. Next, begin to store extra supplies offsite, and identify a temporary location if your company is forced to relocate after the disaster. Coordinate with industry partners to share resources in the event of an industry-stalling disaster. Remember: your commitment to your customers extends beyond business obligations; local businesses play a critical role in a community’s resilience and recovery efforts.
Determine escape routes from your place of business and establish meeting places. Identify which resources to take with you and which you are willing to leave behind. Make sure everyone understands the emergency plan before a disaster occurs. This comes with extensive planning and exercise. Designate a point-of-contact to coordinate communications with employees, customers, and vendors.
Review your insurance coverage and determine what is and what is not covered. For example, most policies do not cover flood damage. Consider business interruption insurance – it covers operating expenses, like utilities, and compensates you for the income lost during a temporary closure.
While it should go without saying, make sure to make back-up copies – both digital and hard copy – of all tax, accounting, payroll, production records, and customer data. Store these records at an offsite location at least 100 miles away. Important documents should be saved in fireproof safe deposit boxes.
Develop a post-disaster communications strategy. Keep current phone numbers for your suppliers, employees, customers, utility companies, local media, and emergency management agencies readily available. Appoint a spokesperson to get the word out that your company will remain open and aid the community’s recovery efforts.
If despite taken adequate steps to minimize risk, your business still incurs significant risk consider applying for a recovery loan from the Small Business Administration. Physical Disaster Loans are available for up to $2 million in repairs for damaged real estate, assets, inventory and other resources. Economic Injury Disaster Loans are available to small businesses, private/non-profit organizations and small agricultural co-ops that have suffered substantial economic losses as the direct result of a disaster.

Achieve Total Asset Visibility, Business Continuity Through Practice

Brandon Chiat — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 18:30:00 GMT

In the last post we discussed asset management strategy of promoting business continuity when facing a disaster. As noted, the cornerstone of any effective disaster preparedness and mitigation plan is clear communication. However, the only way to ensure a plan will be implemented as communicated is to put into practice.

Recovery exercises are where it all comes together in a continuity-planning program. The hard part, actually designing a preparedness plan with input from all relevant departmental experts, is over. However, just as you spent time meticulously considering and accounting for all possible disaster scenarios, so too must you spend the time to design and implement a comprehensive exercise program. To ensure success in a real disaster event, the exercise program must be designed to provide consistent results. Accordingly, effective exercise programs have the following components:

Exercise Standards
Forecast of Exercises
Exercise Roadmap
Planning Methodology
Exercise Objective Setting

#1 Exercise Standards – Define the frequency and timing of recovery exercises based on the criticality of the process/application, the type of exercise required, and the approved processes for validation of the exercise.

#2 Forecast of Exercises – Document the scheduling of exercises. Base this schedule around the approved standards established by executives and decision makers – then stick to the schedule.The forecast should look ahead at least 18 to 24 months and clearly define what is being tested. The forecast must be updated on a regular basis as processes and applications change.

#3 Exercise Roadmaps – Clearly establish the steps your team will follow in order to execute a successful exercise. These steps should begin with the pre-planning and end with the post exercise reporting. A comprehensive roadmap ensures your organization consistently follows the same process over and over, minimizing the potential for critical errors during a real disaster response scenario.

#4 Planning Methodology - Best practices recommend that exercise planning include pre-exercise, exercise, and post-exercise plans. The pre-exercise plan is designed to be documented at least 90 days before the exercise and provide your team with an overview of the scope, assumptions, and objectives of the plan. The exercise plan should be documented at least 60 days before the practice-run and include the detailed task lists, recovery timeline, and other key information needed to execute the plan. The post-exercise plan outlines the results of the exercise, successes and opportunities for improvement, action items for resolution, etc.

#5 Exercise Objectives – Use use S.M.A.R.T. (Specific, Measurable, Actionable, Realistic and Time Bound) objectives as the basis for defining exercise goals. Lastly, objectives should be focused around business process testing to better simulate a real recovery.

Establishing a solid exercise program through standards, forecasts, roadmaps, planning methodology and objective setting will yield consistent results not only during exercises but provide the basis for success in a real disaster scenario.

Total Asset Visibility and Business Continuity

Brandon Chiat — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 17:24:00 GMT

In the last blog post we discussed the need for a cooperative partnership between the public and private sectors. It is largely the responsibility of public-offices to coordinate this relationship, as they are responsible for a given community’s disaster preparedness. However, the private sector must not sit idly by; instead private businesses must develop their own preparedness plans. Specifically, I am referring to the private sector’s business continuity, and moreover, the resilience of this business continuity during and after a disaster scenario.

As with any preparedness effort, the key to business continuity is effective communication. It is essential to convey your organization’s plans and strategies, not only within your organization, but also externally, with the community at large. The reason for this is simple: if your message is not received by those who need it, planning efforts will not be effective.

Effective communication:

Engages target audiences directly and consistently
Encourages that target audience’s active involvement in your preparedness plan
Galvanizes support and buy-in that you need for operative continuity

So how do you ensure that your business is effectively communicating your continuity plan? Here are 10 helpful tips:

Set goals and make a plan – Identify key functions in your organization and work backwards to develop a plan that ensures their resilience during a disaster scenario. Has your organization accounted for its high value fixed and mobile assets? Does your organization’s total asset visibility allow property managers to leverage and protect those resources in a disaster scenario? A clearly articulated plan prevents executives, managers, and employees from losing sight of what needs to be accomplished when disaster strikes.
Establish realistic priorities – Now that you have accounted for the key functions your business must protect, it is time to prioritize the steps that will ensure their preparedness. Establishing a protocol for disaster response will help prioritize a plan that can be executed immediately and without error.
Practice your plan – The only thing more devastating than the disaster itself, is an inability to respond when disaster strikes. Sure, you may have a sound plan in theory, but unless your business is running routine exercises, you cannot be sure the plan is effective. As part of this practice, property managers must conduct regular audits of the organization’s asset inventory to ensure total asset visibility.
Engage leadership – Your organization’s leadership is vital to a successful business continuity plan. From developing plans to overseeing drills and exercises, if the executives don’t see the value in your preparedness they won’t support it. Effective leadership will realize the importance of a continuity plan immediately; however, some executives only support disaster preparedness to the extent that it supports policy requirements. Emergency managers and property custodians must engage superiors by involving them in the planning, practice, and implementation processes.
Engage experts – property and emergency managers should rely on both the physical resources, like fixed and mobile assets, and human resources at their disposal. Coordinate with each department vital to the protection of your business continuity. Talk to department heads to learn and understand their needs, and moreover, learn from their expertise. Asking for their involvement and acting on their advice will strengthen their commitment to the plan.
Establish a network and rely on it - establishing and maintaining a network of professionals in the industry will help you in many ways. Just as you rely on your internal experts, so too should you seek the advice of professionals outside of your organization. If you have a question or a problem, being able to ask for advice or bounce ideas off of fellow industry members plays to your advantage.
Commit to the plan – getting leadership to sign off on your business continuity and disaster preparedness plan is the hardest part. Once the decision makers in your company commit, managers and employees will follow suit. However, to ensure commitment on all levels it is important to continue communicating your goals and plan. Ensure that all members of your organization understand the preparedness goals and demonstrate that you have a realistic plan that accounts for all assets and individuals. What’s more, property and emergency managers should make it clear that every employee plays an active role in disaster preparedness; engage employees by asking for their input and listen to their concerns. Reinforce their engagement by scheduling monthly reviews that keep everyone committed to the plan and prepared for disaster.
Know your audience - emergency managers must tailor their approach to different audiences. Whether addressing colleagues, clients or customers, every audience has different needs and expectations of their involvement in a disaster plan.
Be consistent – an important part of engaging your audience is to use consistent terminology. Whether you call it disaster recovery, business continuity, business resilience, or emergency preparedness, make sure your audience knows exactly what you are talking about.
Keep it simple – business continuity plans that are over complex are not nearly as effective as those that are more concise. In an emergency situation, people are not going to have the time to read through the entire plan to find what they need. Keeping your plans short and direct will serve recovery and asset management teams much more effectively. Tabbing your plans so recovery teams can pull out only the section or sections they need to function is an even more effective approach to simplicity. Simple is better.

Asset Management and the Public/Private Partnership

Brandon Chiat — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:11:00 GMT

We’ve been talking a lot about community resilience in the past weeks. Resilience, or a community’s collective ability to respond to and grow from a disaster scenario, is intuitively related to the relationship between public and private organizations. The public-private-partnership has been largely overlooked by incident commanders, emergency managers, and property custodians. To this end preparedness is a concept largely created by federally funded, public organizations. Continuously, the extent to which the private sector has been involved in disaster preparedness, and consequently community resilience, has largely been determined and dictated by government organizations.

The public sector must reverse the trend of placing demands on the private sector, and instead, transition into a more collaborative relationship. Rather than seeking ways for the private sector to fill gaps in public preparedness, government should instead work with companies and local businesses to help manage their fixed and mobile assets thereby establishing total asset visibility and accounting for their needs during disaster planning and recovery. Make no mistake: the private sector is vital in the preparation for and recovery from any disaster scenario. At their core, the private sector represents the immediate interests of the community. As such they serve both as social barometers during a disaster, assessing the community’s morale when dealing with a disaster, and also as the community’s backbone, providing vital resources in difficult times.

There are instances, such as with Hurricanes Wilma, Katrina, and Rita, in which the Government has prevented or delayed the private sector’s operational return, consequently impeding the community’s recovery. As FEMA administrator Craig Furgate mentioned during his keynote address at IDCE, Government-enforced rules, like curfews, can prevent the private sector from providing for its community. This illustrates how the public sector should work with, not against, the private sector in effort to help local businesses reopen after a disaster. Everyone benefits from this cooperation; the community gains access to vital supplies, the private sector jump-starts economic recovery, and emergency managers can focus on more pressing recovery issues.

Accordingly, preparedness must include the private sector. The concept of community resilience implies the whole community, not simply the first responders and emergency managers responsible for tactical response.

Asset Management Solutions: Social Media and Community Resilience

Brandon Chiat — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 21:19:00 GMT

Fixed and mobile asset management is only one, albeit important, factor contributing to disaster mitigation and emergency management. There has been a lot of talk concerning the role of positive and effective communication to bolster community resilience. At the core of this communication is social media.

While it may go without saying that emergency managers and first responders must harness social networks to disseminate information, what remains unclear are specific strategies to do so. First and foremost disaster communication cannot be a reactionary effort.

Emergency managers need to engage their communities at all times, using existing social networks such as Facebook and Twitter. The key is to establish information that is consistent and reliable so that when a disaster inevitably strikes, the community can instinctually recognize the trusted, go-to source for information.

Establishing a social media presence prior to a disaster scenario is simple, if social networking has been prioritized in the workflow. Adam Crowe of Emergency Management Magazine has identified three strategies for pre-disaster social media engagement:

Pre-Identified Hashtags– “Hashtags are one of the primary mechanisms to search and classify information on Twitter. Unfortunately, in most disasters hashtags are complete organic and defined by the crowd. However, there is a new strategy to pre-identify hashtags for use. For example, A few days ago, the City of Houston adopted this very strategy for impending severe weather. They identified hashtags like #powerout, #debris, #hail, and #wind to help filter their social media information.”

Twitter Town Halls – “Public gatherings (aka Town Hall meetings) have long been the standard to engage the general public on topics of interest. However, as the general public becomes more dependent on the availability and time-saving possibilities of technology, physical meetings have become less effective. As a result, there is a growing trend for Twitter Town Hall meetings. President Obama utilized this functionality in 2011 as did several emergency management offices looking to engage communities before disasters occur.”

Streaming Videos –“The ability to record a video or stream activity to an online video outlet (ex: Ustream or YouTube) has become nearly ubiquitous with inexpensive technologies and integration with cell phones. But emergency managers are often reluctant to use these technologies for anything more than traditional public service announcement videos. These technologies can be utilized (before the disaster) to introduce local staff, highlight activities, or introduce "behind the scenes" components of emergency management.”

So far we’ve been discussing how emergency managers can use social media to broadcast information, but effective emergency management is just as much about listening as it is dictating. In a crisis situation online social hubs like Facebook and Twitter serve as excellent indicators of how effective the response effort is.

Social media is just that – social. It is an ongoing conversation, in this case between emergency management professionals and civilians, about the constant preparedness for and vigilance of disaster scenarios. In this sense social media is the key to community resilience.

Total Asset Visibility: Resilience on an International Level

Brandon Chiat — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 19:09:00 GMT

On the third and final day of IDCE 2012 the talk is still about resilience, however now the focus is on international resilience rather than community specific preparation. The two instances are of course related; however international disaster management relies heavily on Non-Governmental-Organizations (NGOs) and the private sector.

First and foremost international disaster efforts must identify their most readily apparent challenges. While drought, famine, and social upheaval will continue to plague the developing world, the most detrimental risk for the international relief community are urban earthquakes.

Unfortunately we have seen far too many instances of this particular type of disaster in the recent past. You have only to look at the disasters in Japan; Port-au-Prince, Haiti; and Christ’s Church, New Zealand, to realize that increased urbanization has led to an increase in urban earthquakes. International resilience must take into account that urban earthquakes will be both the most common and most detrimental disasters in the 21st century.

However, the international relief community has not yet fully embraced this realization. Emergency managers have only to look at the urban-earthquake that ravaged Port-au-Prince, Haiti to see that the disaster mitigation efforts in that scenario were outdated. The international community responded to the earthquake in Haiti similar to the way they would address a drought or social conflict. They set up shelters, provided food and clean drinking water, and even went as far as to set up schools and other social institutions.

The problem? Utilities, schooling, and other social institutions are private endeavors in Haiti. Consequently, by constructing these institutions, the international disaster relief community undercut employment opportunities from Haitians already struggling to cope with a post-disaster reality. Understandably this created resentment amongst Haitians and this resentment impeded the recovery efforts.

Again, this speaks to the need for exceptional coordination between government organizations, first responders, and the private sector. The first objective is to ensure the security of the affected citizens. For developing nations, sexual and gang related violence increases during a disaster recovery scenario. Infrastructure must be put into place that creates secure boundaries while also providing basic human services such as sanitation. However, these efforts must take into account the customs of the affected community, as in the case of Haiti, the private sector should be responsible for providing sanitation efforts.

Both government organizations and NGOs must rely on the private sector to provide the type of specialized skills necessary to encourage the recovery effort. Structural engineers, HazMat specialists, and medical professionals are all examples of private citizens whose efforts must be included in the planning process. It is vital for the long-term success of both domestic and international disaster recovery efforts that the private sector be included in the coordination and planning of disaster recovery.