Planning for the Worst: Making Disaster Recovery a Priority

Hurricanes, wildfires, gun violence, data breaches. It's been a rough news cycle and an even rougher reality. As painful as it is to think about these recent events, it is important for organizations to plan for the worst. This includes the logistical (if we lose access to our building, how will we work?), the technical (how do we maintain access to our data and IT systems?), and the personal (how do we contact and support employees during a disaster?).[Tweet "Hurricanes, wildfires, gun violence, data breaches. Be prepared for any disaster. #GovEventsBlog"]

Lucky for those of us who shudder at thinking about worst-case scenarios, there are professionals whose job it is to map out a plan that can be used in the event of disaster. These disaster recovery experts share theoretical and tactical guidance at a number of events throughout the year. Below are some upcoming events listed on GovEvents that can help anyone be better prepared for a disaster:[Tweet "Planning for the Worst: Making Disaster Recovery a Priority. #GovEventsBlog"]

• Critical Infrastructure Protection and Resilience Americas (December 5-7, 2017; Titusville, FL) -- This two-track event looks at both physical infrastructure protection as well as information infrastructure protection. This event responds to the Presidential Policy Directive 21 (PPD-21): Critical Infrastructure Security and Resilience that advances a national policy to strengthen and maintain secure, functioning, and resilient critical infrastructure. It brings together leading stakeholders from industry, operators, agencies and governments to collaborate on securing North America.
• 2018 IPSA Conference (February 21-23, 2018; Tempe, AZ) - The public safety community comes together for this event to discuss education, training, policy and other issues impacting first responders and allied stakeholders This event looks at cybersecurity, civil unrest, first responder safety, and more.
• InfoSec World 2018 Conference and Expo (March 19-21, 2018; Lake Buena Vista, FL) -- This conference bills itself as the "business of security" conference. To manage today's threats, security practitioners--from entry-level admins to senior leadership--must have the skills to be both a business partner and business enabler, andthe technical skills to prevent, detect and respond to security challenges. Government speakers include representatives from HHS and the Federal Reserve Bank.
• DHS Active Shooter Preparedness Workshops (multiple dates and locations) -- The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) runs a series of workshops to enhance awareness of, and response to, an active shooter event. Given today's ever-changing threat environment, preparing for and training employees to cope with active threats and workplace violence should be a key piece of an organization's emergency action plan.[Tweet "A look at some of the events that can help anyone be better prepared for a disaster. #GovEventsBlog"]

We'd love to hear your thoughts on the best events for disaster recovery information and planning. Share your thoughts in the comments.