BCM SIG on Thursday, November 20th, at 6pm will feature a discussion on:

BIA - The Reality Check

by Desmond O'Callaghan, FBCI
Director Continuity Services - Manulife Financial

Most organizations use Business Impact Analysis as a starting point, or foundation, for their continuity planning. According to standard (and indeed best) practices, it is a vital step in building an overall BCP program. Before we can develop appropriate continuity strategies and build effective plans, we must understand our business and know what is truly critical. But what is the best way to perform this analysis and what are some of the common pitfalls? This talk will discuss how to sort out fact from fantasy and reality from illusion. Rather than focusing on a particular methodology, it will look at first principles for approaching, conducting and interpreting a BIA to produce the most meaningful results.

Des O'Callaghan is currently Director of Continuity Services for Manulife Financial, Canada's largest insurance company and 6th largest in the world.

Des has responsibilities for BCP and DRP activity worldwide, which includes the John Hancock subsidiary in the US and operations in a dozen countries in Asia.

Prior to his recent move to Manulife, Des held Senior Manager BCM positions at the Bank of Montreal and the Canadian Depository for Securities.

Des BCM resume starts with TD Bank in 1989, at the birth of the Business Recovery Planning department and includes stints at Symcor Inc. and Comdisco / SunGard as a Senior Consultant.

Des holds professional certification as a Fellow of the Business Continuity Institute and is actively involved in the industry. This includes the Disaster Recovery Information Exchange (where he is editor of the DRIE Digest quarterly newsletter) and the annual World Conference on Disaster Management where over the years he has presented breakout sessions and delivered workshops.

Des is also currently lead instructor in the new BCP Certificate Program he has developed at George Brown College.