Private Sector Voluntary Certification(PS-Prep)

Small Business Considerations

Debra T. Ballen

October 21, 2009

IBHS Mission:“… to reduce the social and economic effects of natural disasters and other property losses by conducting research and advocating improved

construction, maintenance and preparation practices.”

• Importance of Small Business

• The Case for Planning

• Open for Business®

• Crosswalk of OFB and PS Prep

• Implementation Challenges

• Next Steps

Topical Overview

• 99% of employer firms

• 50% of private employees

• 60-80% of new jobs growth

• 45% of private payroll

• Key link in the supply chain

• Critical community role

Small Business in America

An estimated 15-40% of small businesses forced to close following a disaster never reopen.

“Preparedness is an essential element of a resilient and secure Nation.”

Presidential Proclamation, September 4, 2009

The Ongoing Challenge

• Small and mid-sized businesses (SMBs) are the lifeblood of the global economy. Comprising more than 99 percent of all businesses, SMBs employ more than half the world’s workers. Most of the world’s patents and more than half of the world’s GDP come from small and mid-sized business.

• A 2009 Disaster Preparedness survey1 of SMBs by Symantec reports a large discrepancy between how SMBs perceive their disaster readiness and their actual level of preparedness.

• There are large, tangible costs to this lack of preparedness. SMBs can – and often do – lose business as a direct result of being unprepared for disasters.

1 SMB Disaster Preparedness Survey – Global. September 24, 2009. Symantec Corporation.

SMB Disaster Preparedness Survey1

• Time

• Money

• Expertise

• Long-term Perspective

• Where to start?

Planning Impediments

IBHS Preparedness Program

• “A great tool for implementing a disaster recovery program for any company.”

• “Got us through the five business days that our office was closed.”

• “Planning for the worst ultimately helps a business to operate at its best.”

• “Open for Business® is the foundation of our disaster planning initiative.”

Comments from “The Field”

Open for Business® Alignment with PS-Prep

• Developed in conjunction with certified business continuity practitioners and subject matter experts

• Based on body of knowledge underlying professional practices of– Disaster Recovery Institute International (DRII)

– Business Continuity Institute (BCI)

Open for Business®Alignment with PS-Prep

www.DisasterSafety.org/business_protection

Crosswalk to target criteria for PS-Prep and ANSI standards

• NFPA 1600 (2010 Draft Standard)

• ASIS SPC.1: 2009

Open for Business®Alignment with PS-Prep

• Time, money, expertise, perspective

• Concern about government regulation

• Not all small businesses are alike

• Focus is top down, not bottom up

• Certification requirements

• Updates / improvementsalways needed

Applying PS-Prep to SMB -Challenges

• IBHS Expand reach of OFB and like-minded programs, while PS-Prep moves forward

• DHS Develop outreach to small business

• DHS Develop alternatives to 3rd party certification

• SMB Adopt and adapt the program. Staying power = staying in business

Applying PS-Prep to SMB -Opportunities

Questions? Thank you!

DISCLAIMER

IBHS SHALL HAVE NO LIABILITY, IN NEGLIGENCE, TORT OR OTHERWISE WITH RESPECT TO THE USE OF ANY OF THE INFORMATION AND/OR PRACTICES DESCRIBED IN THIS SLIDESHOW.  ALTERATIONS OR MODIFCATIONS TO ANY OF THE CONTENT OF THIS SLIDESHOW ARE THE SOLE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE PERSON AND/OR BUSINESS MAKING SUCH ALTERATIONS OR MODIFICATIONS.  NOTHING CONTAINED IN THIS SLIDESHOW IS INTENDED OR WRITTEN TO BE USED, NOR MAY IT BE RELIED UPON OR USED, BY ANY PERSON AND/OR BUSINESS AS LEGAL ADVICE.