News

October 15, 2024

Beware the Second Wave: After the Storm, Scammers Surge

Beware the Second Wave: After the Storm, Scammers Surge

It was only a couple days after the hurricane when Kathleen received a phone call. The storm’s destruction was severe, and it was hard to imagine anything being normal again.  Everyone was still in shock and trying to start to piece their lives back together. The friendly person on the line was a welcomed voice claiming to be from a well-known disaster relief organization. They were offering to help immediately with aid if she provided her bank information for "verification purposes to get things started quickly." Feeling overwhelmed and desperate for help, Kathleen almost took advantage of this easy and...

Read More

October 09, 2024

Avoid Travel Nightmares: Strategies for Safety

Avoid Travel Nightmares: Strategies for Safety

The Wilson family's excitement for their New York City adventure quickly turned to dread as they realized 12-year-old Tyler was nowhere to be found. One moment he was admiring a street performer in Times Square, and the next he had vanished into the crowd. Parents Sarah and Michael frantically searched the crowded streets, their hearts racing. Emma clutched her mother's hand, fighting back tears as she was being pulled in frantic directions. Tyler's phone went straight to voicemail its battery likely dead, not uncommon for a 12-year-old boy. As panic set in, the Wilsons realized they had no predetermined meeting...

Read More

October 01, 2024

Business Blindspots: Facing the Disaster You Never Saw Coming.

Business Blindspots: Facing the Disaster You Never Saw Coming.

One very large company, RSA, experienced a breach in 2011 that cost the company upward of $66.3 million and caused untold reputation damage. It forced multiple companies to move to other security platforms for user authentication, and they thought it could never happen to them. In my many years of building business continuity and disaster recovery programs, I have continually heard, “It can never happen to me.” While this remains true until it does, it is at that point when a business’s viability is tested. One might think that the size of a business makes the difference, but in my...

Read More

September 25, 2024

Are We Wired for Disaster?

Are We Wired for Disaster?

On a sweltering July afternoon in 2019, in the heart of New York City, some 72,000 people themselves plunged into darkness. Broadway shows were canceled, subway trains ground to a halt, and thousands were trapped in elevators. This blackout, caused by a faulty relay protection system, was a stark reminder of how fragile our power infrastructure can be. Luckily, this was just a localized event, but what if it wasn’t?   Imagine the lights suddenly go out—not just in your home, but across entire cities, states, or even countries. Planes experience electronic navigation issues, traffic lights don’t work, hospitals lose...

Read More

September 16, 2024

Roles Reversed: It’s Your Turn to Keep Mom and Dad Safe

Roles Reversed: It’s Your Turn to Keep Mom and Dad Safe

Roles Reversed: It’s Your Turn to Keep Mom and Dad Safe As the storm sirens wailed, the power had been out for over an hour, and no one had called to check on her. 78-year-old Margaret, alone, frantically stumbled her way through the dark to search for her nighttime medication, realizing too late she was on her own. She had no idea what to do and could not recognize her apartment in the dark. Starting to worry and afraid of falling, she decided to go without her meds, sat down, and hoped the power would return soon. During Hurricane Katrina 71%...

Read More

Tags