Prepare your Business for the Next Hurricane Joaquin

ROAD TOWN, Virgin Islands, British - Oct. 6, 2015 - PRLog -- Business and government agencies in the Caribbean are very effective in responding to disasters; but just how good are they in planning to prevent disasters in the first place? While no one can stop a hurricane, business and government can develop effective Business Continuity Plans to ensure their key business activities continue - that they can maintain service to the public - no matter what happens!

Mother Nature does not care about your business. This is a fact. Business interruptions can strike anytime, anywhere. Recent natural disasters around the world serve as reminders that every business and government agency must have a business continuity plan. Effective Business Continuity Planning ensures that key business activities of your organization can continue - no matter what happens.

Towards this end, the Institute for Business Continuity Training (www.IBCT.com) is again partnering with H Lavity Stoutt Community College (www.hlscc.edu.vg/) in the BVI to present a comprehensive 5-day Business Continuity training workshop January 25-29 in Tortola. This course is well suited for all types and sizes of organizations, and will be of special interest to financial institutions, government agencies, telecommunications firms, and the service industry. This 5-day workshop will present a clear methodology for protecting the key activities of your organization regardless of any hazard Mother Nature may throw at it.

“Most banks and government agencies in the Caribbean still do not yet have an effective business continuity plan to deal with critical situations,” notes Michael Bittle, Managing Partner of the Institute for Business Continuity Training (IBCT). “Every few years a major hurricane – Hugo in 1989, Ivan in 2004, Katrina in 2005, for example - reminds us of the destructive force of wind and rain. But few organizations in the Caribbean seem to learn the lessons that Mother Nature provides.” In case of a major disaster, 40% to 60% of private enterprises go out of business forever.

"This is an exceptional and comprehensive course," adds Mr. Bittle. IBCT is partnering with H.Lavity Stoutt Community College to host this workshop. "Every organization in the Pan-Caribbean should send their senior management, disaster management, HR, auditors, IT specialists, records managers, and virtually everyone involved with business management."

"This course is particularly useful for companies that do not yet have a Business Continuity Plan, or have one that only covers their computer systems. Recovering computer systems will not help you recover inventory, staff or customers," adds Mr. Bittle.

Entitled "ECP-601: Implementing ISO 22301 - Effective Business Continuity Management", this workshop incorporates the new International ISO Standard for Business Continuity Planning.

The course proceeds from project inception through to implementation and management. This includes sessions on Business Impact Analysis and Risk Assessments, utilizing an "all hazards" approach applicable to every size and type of organization - and any type of incident that might affect your organization.

Invitations have gone out to all major corporations and business associations in the Pan Caribbean to send representatives to the course.

"We expect banks and insurance companies will attend, along with manufacturing, telecommunications and retail firms," Mr. Bittle said.

Mr. Bittle will personally lead this intensive 5 day training course. He is an internationally-recognized expert in Business Continuity, who has been elected as an Honourary Life Member of both the International Emergency Management Society and the Disaster Recovery Information Exchange. Mr. Bittle holds the CCM certification in Business Continuity Management and graduate and undergraduate degrees in Business and Public Administration. He brings over 35 years experience in IT, disaster planning and emergency management to this role.

Course participants receive a Certificate in Business Continuity Management issued jointly by IBCT and HLSCC, and also have the opportunity to sit the professional exam for the "Certified Continuity Manager - ISO 22301 Specialist" designation at no additional charge.

They also receive a 16 G BCM FlashDrive with over 3,000 electronic tools in Word, PDF, Excel and PowerPoint format covering all aspects of Business Continuity Management, including a complete business resumption plan that can be used as a template for their own BC Plan.

The Institute for Business Continuity Training is a leading international agency specializing in training corporations and governments on the value of effective business continuity planning. It is based in New York State.

IBCT's training technique combines instructor-led discussion, case studies and group exercises, and their focus is to train participants in "industry best practices” as well as the "best principles" for developing Business Continuity Plans for their firms. IBCT has prior experience providing training in the US, Canada, Europe, Caribbean and the Middle East.

The Early Bird fee for this comprehensive 5-day workshop is $2,495, which includes 6 nights hotel accommodation with lunch and refreshments daily, the CCM certification exam, all course materials, and the 16G BCM FlashDrive.

More information and Early Bird Registration can be found online at http://www.IBCT.com