Pandemic preparedness and telecommunications resiliency: What should contingency planners be considering?

Business continuity managers are faced with a different challenge when planning and preparing for an influenza pandemic. The current “bird flu' virus, designated as H5N1, is of immediate concern because it has already shown itself in parts of Asia and Europe. There is a fear that it may bring sickness and death on an unimaginable scale, devastate cities and towns, and bring business to a halt. While the virus has so far killed only a few people, there is a possibility that it will mutate into a form which is easily transmissible between humans, resulting in a global pandemic. Should this occur, the US Government estimates that it could result in 207,000 deaths, 776,000 hospitalisations and outpatients, and a staggering US$166bn in economic losses in the USA alone. While the US Government and various industry associations have published many alerts and planning guides, this paper discusses the practical problems of maintaining operations, when people can no longer meet in their usual offices and have to work from scattered locations. Finally, this paper examines the current telecommunications infrastructure, its weaknesses and the keys to a successful telecommunications plan that is sufficiently flexible and robust to maintain a company over many months of dislocation.