It is essential for companies to have a comprehensive business continuity plan in place to ensure that they address the concerns that arise due to sudden and severe changes in the market conditions. Businesses are required to understand their resources and assets and realize how they can be compromised during the creation of a comprehensive continuity plan. Continuity plans promote the development of backup strategies in the case of drastic scenarios. The policy ensures that the management reviews the threats and weaknesses in the organization using a detached perspective. The process involved in the development of a comprehensive continuity plan raises concerns in various areas such as the security in intellectual property, development of employees, and selection of real estates. Plans that are created appropriately ensure that businesses understand how to achieve opportunities in the event of challenging times. Organizations have the preparedness required in mitigating or avoiding risks as well as a strategic plan to recover from an unavoidable setback occurrence such as fire, a flu epidemic, or power outage. Business continuity in place ensures that companies continue with operations despite the challenges and reduce the potential losses.
With the outbreak of the Coronavirus epidemic, there has been the emergence of cyber threats that have taken the opportunity of potential vulnerabilities. There has been the creation of websites related to the virus, and almost 3% contain malware. New and variable malware has been released through phishing emails using officials’ names of the World Health Organization and other governmental agencies. The phishing emails have created scams where they pretend to provide healthcare support in curing coronavirus. The malware emails themed with coronavirus has recently led to 2500 infections. People are giving fake maps that allow people to view infected users and require individuals to download software that produces counterfeit maps. Some computerized systems have been hacked, such as hospital systems, which have led to the delayed release of COVID-19 reports.
A Chief Security Officer (CSO) needs to be very knowledgeable of a company’s Substance Abuse Prevention Policy. It provides the CSO with the guidelines that ensure that there is an elimination of security threats. Drug abuse poses a threat to the security of the equipment and facilities in the company creating great concern for the CSO. Substance use leads to accident risks, and it is the responsibility of a CSO to ensure that there is the regulation of the possession, use, or sale of drugs on the company premises. Understanding the policy ensures that the CSO mitigates or avoids the risks associated with drug usage in the work premises.
An anti-kidnap plan is a plan that prevents employees from being kidnapped and provides employees and their families with information on how to survive a kidnap. Experts create the program in the security field who understand the kidnapping methods popular in specific nations, the tactics used by the kidnappers, response procedures, and negotiation strategies. Anti-kidnap plans are essential since they enhance protection programs and low-profile awareness. The plan involves the provision of security as in places where executives hold meetings, travel domestically, or internationally which are examined to promote safety and security. Fundamental concerns in anti-kidnap plans include preparations before traveling, the traveling program, and security level in the regions of visit such as airports, hotels, and offices. Corporate executives are frequently found in situations that require protection and thus must assess the risks and areas of vulnerability to provide the highest security level. Executives are prone to kidnapping for huge ransoms, extortion of private information, or ideological and political reasons.
Nelson should accept the recommendation, which provides for the installation of a completely new system for the annex. This is because although the purchasing cost might be high, the new system would keep up with the access control demands of the annex. The life span of the new system is more significant, reducing the future costs involved in the maintenance or replacement of the electronic access controls. The cheaper and faster system might be tempting; however, it would lead to the company incurring huge costs in maintenance due to the increased possibility of glitches. The hybrid system will fail to meet the expanding requirements for the annex in the future and would become overwhelming for the company. The initial cost for the new system is entirely worthwhile since it provides for the smooth running of activities even in the future since it is specific to annex. Nelson made a mistake when he selected the original access control system five years earlier. This is because the system chosen is currently unable to meet the demands of the annex. The annex is crucial for the government since it deals with infectious and lethal bacteria. The laboratory is vulnerable to security threats due to the biological research it conducts, which could be used as biological weapons. The failure of the access control system would lead to the endangerment of the public, and thus it was essential for Nelson to select a system that would meet the critical requirements of the annex. The laboratory is a very sensitive complex, and therefore it would have been better if Nelson didn’t combine the access control system of the annex with the administrative building.
References
Ani, U. D., Watson, J. M., Green, B., Craggs, B., & Nurse, J. (2019). Design Considerations for Building Credible Security Testbeds: A Systematic Study of Industrial Control System Use Cases. arXiv preprint arXiv:1911.01471.
Molinuevo, D. (2020). Impact of digitalisation on social services.
Niemimaa, M., Järveläinen, J., Heikkilä, M., & Heikkilä, J. (2019). Business continuity of business models: Evaluating the resilience of business models for contingencies. International Journal of Information Management, 49, 208-216.
Nikiforidou, E. (2018). Countering Kidnapping in a Globalised World: a critical analysis of the production, transfer and application of high security knowledge (Doctoral dissertation, University of Essex).
Ivanov, T. (2017). Methodological Framework for Analysis and Evaluation of Security Threats Within Industrial Enterprises. Izvestiya. Journal of Varna University of Economics, 61(3), 303-320.