If you intend to BCP spatial data out of SQL Server with the intention of using BULK INSERT/BCP to deploy data to another machine you must ensure both are the same platform. You cannot BCP OUT data from a 32bit instance and BULK INSERT into a 64bit instance with spatial data.

It works fine for standard datatypes; float, int, varchar etc. This may also be an issue for other binary based data but I have only tested this with spatial (geography) data.

Ahir varem tenir la oportunitat de conèixer una mica més en profunditat en què consisteixen els Plans de Contingència i de Continuïtat de Negoci. L’Alex Barnadas, Director d’Operacions, i en David Pujadas, Consultor IT, ambdós de la firma eZone Solutions S.L. ens varen traslladar la necessitat i la importància de disposar d’un Pla de Continuïtat de Negoci, i de quines pautes seguir per començar a avaluar en primera persona, quins riscos tenim a la nostra empresa. Crec que va ser una sessió molt enriquidora i que, si més no, va servir per què tots els assistents a la sessió, que per cert varen ser un grup força nombrós, hi reflexionéssim.

La majoria de les trobades que fins ahir havíem organitzat des del Grup OSI, havien estat sessions orientades a com les TIC poden donar resposta a aspectes de gestió, a com aquestes contribueixen a la millora de la productivitat, i a reflexionar sobre el canvi cultural que han implicat tant per les persones com per a les organitzacions.

Amb la sessió d’ahir varem anar un pas més enllà. Varem parlar i reflexionar de quines preguntes ens havíem de fer i quines activitats hem de dur a terme per garantir la continuïtat del negoci.

En destacaria algunes idees de la conferència de l’Àlex i en David:

• Les persones tenen un paper fonamental en el pla de continuïtat de negoci.
• És una qüestió de responsabilitat disposar d’un pla de continuïtat de negoci.
• El pla és global, impacta sobre les persones i els processos, i garanteix el valor de negoci.
• Ha de ser liderat pels responsables l’empresa amb capacitat de decisió.
• Identifiquem diferents riscos: naturals, de seguretat, de maquinari, de programari, de dades, de personal, …
• El pla no és sol una responsabilitat de l’àrea d’ IT.

La creixent evolució dels Sistemes d’Informació i el ràpid desenvolupament dels dispositius, fixes o mòbils, tant per accedir a la informació, com per generar-ne de nova, ha fet que les empreses s’hagin de plantejar diferents mecanismes per garantir la salvaguarda de la informació de negoci que aquestes generen diàriament. Ja no és suficient disposar d’un tallafocs, o d’un programari d’antivirus i antispam. De fet una de les conclusions que varem extreure de la sessió era que els sistemes d’informació eren un dels riscos, dels més importants, però no era ni molt menys l’únic.

El volum d’informació crítica per la continuïtat de qualsevol negoci creix a uns ritmes impressionants, informació sense la qual l’empresa no pot continuar donant servei als seus clients. Aquest fet es constata clarament en empreses altament descentralitzades i que operen en mercats globalitzats.

També varem reflexionar sobre com quantificar i valorar la informació que gestiona una empresa. Es va plantejar el pla de continuïtat de negoci, com un actiu d’aquesta, que li dona més valor, donat que al cap i a la fi, aquest pla està donant cobertura a la continuïtat de l’empresa.

En un entorn de crisi com l’actual, les empreses han d’adaptar-se a l’entorn i disposar de la informació requerida en qualsevol moment i garantir-la en el temps, per donar el millor servei. No disposar d’un pla de continuïtat es pot traduir en un cost d’oportunitat que no es poden permetre les empreses.

Agrair a l’Alex Barnadas, en David Pujadas i a eZone per la seva col·laboració i als assistents a la trobada. Sens dubte el tema d’ahir el continuarem tractant en d’altres sessions.

Podeu consultar la presentació tot seguit:

Les damos la bienvenida a la nueva plataforma web del Agente BCP, donde podrán informarse de su crecimiento y posicionamiento en el mercado, gracias a la aceptación del público en la zona del norte chico del Perú.

Cada vez pensando más en ustedes como clientes fidelizados del Agente Bcp queremos darle la cordial bienvenida a su espacio online donde publicaremos y debatiremos sus interrogantes,  dándoles una solución inmediata, así mismo les daremos la opcion de opinar libremente sobre sus inquietudes de acuerdo al servicio.

Tu Agente BCP

Christus Rex

This coming Sunday is the Feast of Christ the King. I’m going to give a 3-minute wonder at the BCP communion (on Jeremiah 23.5–8 & John 6.5–14). In an emergency, I may have to preach at the parish eucharist also (on Daniel 7.9–10, 13–14; Revelation 1.4b–8 & John 18.33b–37), which is most definitely Christ the King.

I expect many sermons will fail to get across what ‘Christ is king’ means. In Year B of the Revised Common Lectionary, which draws to a close this coming week, we have John’s account of Jesus’ trial before Pilate (or is Jesus putting Pilate on trial?). The key phrase in understanding Jesus as king here is his words, “My kingdom is not of this world” (ἡ βασίλεια ἡ ἐμὴ οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου τούτου, hē basileia hē emē ouk estin ek tou kosmou toutou). Again there is the danger of misunderstanding the line to think he is talking about heaven. That interpretation completely disarms and voids the words of any meaning. It is basically putting on Jesus’ lips the idea that he doesn’t care about earthly life and all that matters is ‘pie in the sky when you die’.

The dialogue between Jesus and Pilate is apocalyptic: hidden, subversive prophecy. The Bible readings over the last three Sundays have been trying to attune us to this apocalyptic frequency, but it’s still far too easy to miss what is being said to us. Jesus is saying that he is a king, but his kingly nature is diametrically opposed to that of world leaders. Worldly kings and queens can be characterized as

• holding absolute and/or ultimate power over their subjects,
• enriching themselves off their subjects,
• demand the servitude of their subjects.

Jesus’ kingship is the opposite to this. His incarnation is the laying aside of power. He lived a simple life to enrich others. He served others. If we understand Jesus’ kingship through his words and actions, we see that it is a completely upside-down kingdom from the earthly perspective. If we call Jesus king and fail to recognise the radical and revolutionary, subversive and prophetic nature of his authority, then we are not only missing the point, but we are collaborating in the great lie of Christendom, that Jesus upholds authoritarianism — we turn Jesus into Pilate/Caesar.

To avoid this, many take the escape route of describing Jesus’ kingdom as heavenly in its location rather than just in its nature. This relegates our earthly life to a mere waiting room for heaven in which to try to remain good enough to get in. It is presented in far lofty terms from pulpits, but it is what this boils down to.

Perhaps, this word ‘king’ is problematic for us; it was for Pilate too. But maybe renaming this the Feast of Christ Political is a bit too edgy for the church. He was part of the high-tension politics of his day, surprising all by following a unique, untrodden path. He was not on this side or that side, he was his own man. Our world has different political polarisations, but the same political passions as then. This Feast of Christ the King is a moment for specific reflection on how we as Christians, followers of Christ, follow his path through our political world.

I end with two thoughts, which maybe found more spiritual, and thus more palatable.

Earthly kings and queens send out their subjects to die for their selfish ideals; Christ is the king who died for his own for the highest of ideals.

From Celtic Daily Prayer

Question: What are the only human-made things in heaven?
Answer: The wounds in the hands, feet and side of Christ.

Do you want to keep your recovery team personnel sharp, thinking on their feet, and the BCP process fresh in their minds?   We all want multiple half-day exercises each year to entrench our recovery teams in the process, but who gets that much time made available to them?

We have come up with a way to keep our teams engaged using 30-minute mock disaster exercises in addition to the annual half-day exercise.  So, what is the format for such an exercise?  Here is what we do:

1. Present a short scenario outlying the event at hand and what is known (2 to 3 minutes)
2. Request the Team to address the Crisis Management aspects dealing with the immediate tactical needs of the scenario (10 minutes)
3. Request the Team to address the Crisis Leadership aspects dealing with the long-term issues associated with their decisions, business cycle, etc. (10 minutes)
4. Follow up and action items (5 to 7 minutes)

Regular short exercises make the team focus on the task at hand and not lose sight at what needs to be accomplished.  Use a timer to keep them focused and document what they come up with for each component of the exercise.  Update your plans as needed.

Good Luck!

About MHA:  MHA Consulting, with its decade-long track record, is a proven leader in business continuity planning, disaster recovery planning, IT best practices and data center moves and relocations. Every day, MHA helps protect trillions of dollars of global-market assets and top companies around the world rely on MHA services for the continuity of their business. For more information, contact Michael Herrera at Herrera at mha-it.com.

Bizarrely the format [x_x].[dbo].[TableName] in the BCP command gives

SQLState = 37000, NativeError = 4060
Error = [Microsoft][ODBC SQL Server Driver][SQL Server]Cannot open database requested in login ‘[x_x]‘. Login fails.

however in the format  x_x.dbo.[TableName] it works.  Which seems to contradict the MSDN advice.

Full working command line:

C:\Documents and Settings\Peter>bcp x_x.dbo.[T_TableName] out “Z:\Packages\Db\T_TableName.TXT”  -S SERVER -T -f “Z:\Packages\generate packages\T_TableName.FMT”

Full failing command line:

C:\Documents and Settings\Peter>bcp [x_x].[dbo].[T_TableName] out “Z:\Packages\Db\T_TableName.TXT”  -S SERVER -T -f “Z:\Packages\generate packages\T_TableName.FMT”

MATI – MATICHON PUBLIC COMPANY LIMITED
新聞社大手マティチョン取締役会は、印刷工場建屋、輪転機、土地をピカネート氏より1億バーツで買収を決定。

SAMART – SAMART CORPORATION PUBLIC COMPANY LIMITED
タイと、カンボジアの接続航空管制管理についてCanbodia Air traffic Services社(CATS)から、一時移管を受ける。

CNS – CAPITAL NOMURA SECURITIES PUBLIC COMPANY LIMITED
マーケティング要員30名を新規採用へ。現在の100名体制のマーケティングチームの自然減の補充。新体制を構築へ。

CGS – COUNTRY GROUP SECURITIES PUBLIC COMPANY LIMITED
香港のブローカー買収交渉は終結。支払いは本年度末頃と見込まれる。

TRT – TIRATHAI PUBLIC COMPANY LIMITED
2010年度の売り上げ目標は本年と同様な25億バーツで、当初予想利益は27.5%程度。

CPN – CENTRAL PATTANA PUBLIC COMPANY LIMITED
ルンピニ・ナイトバザールの土地使用委託契約は、無期限延期へ。また2010年度中盤には中国への投資を計画。

QLT – QUALITECH PUBLIC COMPANY LIMITED
本年度の売上、利益ともに15%の成長。来年度は10-15%の成長を計画。

SMC – SMC MOTORS PUBLIC COMPANY LIMITED
ビジネスラインを、現在の不動産業よりあと2~3増やして多角化する調査を開始。

CPF – CHAROEN POKPHAND FOODS PUBLIC COMPANY LIMITED
タイの格付け会社トリスレーティング社は、CPFの新規発行社債84億バーツについてA+、安定の評価。

STAR – STAR SANITARYWARE PUBLIC COMPANY LIMITED
昨年よりも本年のほうが好調。2010年は新商品4-5品目を追加へ。

BCP – THE BANGCHAK PETROLEUM PUBLIC COMPANY LIMITED
本年度末は中国からの需要に押されて、原油価格はバーレル当たり85ドルと予想。来年も利益が続伸と予想。

KIAT – KIATTANA TRANSPORT PUBLIC COMPANY LIMITED
2009年第4四半期も成長を継続。利益は4億8千万バーツで昨年度を超えた。

CI – CHARN ISSARA DEVELOPMENT PUBLIC COMPANY LIMITED
本年Q4、及び通年でも利益は伸びる。2010年度の通期成長は10%を見込み、来年度初頭には不動産ファンドからのエキジットを計画。

AI – ASIAN INSULATORS PUBLIC COMPANY LIMITED
本年度は利益は昨年と同程度であったが売り上げは昨年より落ちた。来年度は利益30億バーツ越えを目指す。

GRAMMY – GMM GRAMMY PUBLIC COMPANY LIMITED
本年2009年度は純利益は20%の減益であると認める。が、来年度は経済の回復と、広告によって売り上げは伸びると予測。（Info Quest 11月19日配信）

にほんブログ村

THL – TONGKAH HARBOUR PUBLIC COMPANY LIMITED
THL取締役会はロナルド氏を代表取締役社長に任命。

SAMTEL – SAMART TELCOMS PUBLIC COMPANY LIMITED
E-ラーニング、遠距離学習のためのソフト制作子会社を設立へ。

Q-CON – QUALITY CONSTRUCTION PRODUCTS PUBLIC COMPANY LIMITED
本年度は大きく利益が出た。そのため直近2年内の初の配当金支払いを決定。

SUSCO – SIAM UNITED SERVICES PUBLIC COMPANY LIMITED
2009年度第3四半期の利益は1千8百58万バーツほどで、前年同期は4.9百万バーツであった。

PF – PROPERTY PERFECT PUBLIC COMPANY LIMITED
2009年度第3四半期の利益は8千2百90万バーツほどで、前年同期は2億6千8百万バーツであった。

CMO – CM ORGANIZER PUBLIC COMPANY LIMITED
2009年度第3四半期の利益は3千5百11万バーツほどで、前年同期は4千百万バーツであった。

CSL – CS LOXINFO PUBLIC COMPANY LIMITED
CSLの来年2010年度の目標は、ネットプロフィット維持で本年度と近い数字になる模様。

AKR – EKARAT ENGINEERING PUBLIC COMPANY LIMITED
2010年度以降は大きく利益が伸びる見込み。新規に投入したソーラー発電パネル「エカラットソーラー」の成長は100%以上。オーダーが大きく伸びている。

SABINA – SABINA PUBLIC COMPANY LIMITED
子供下着の大手サビナーは本年度第4四半期も成長を続け、売り上げが伸びていると伝える。

TF – THAI PRESIDENT FOODS PUBLIC COMPANY LIMITED
2009年度第3四半期の利益は3億3千5百万バーツほどで、前年同期は1億6千3百50万バーツであった。

TKS – T.K.S. TECHNOLOGIES PUBLIC COMPANY LIMITED
2009年度第3四半期の利益は1千2百86万バーツほどで、前年同期は1千2百73万バーツであった。

INOX – THAINOX STAINLESS PUBLIC COMPANY LIMITED
2009年度第3四半期の利益は4億5千6百45万バーツほどで、前年同期は4億3百53万バーツであった。

LANNA – THE LANNA RESOURCES PUBLIC COMPANY LIMITED
2009年度第3四半期の利益は3億1千72万バーツほどで、前年同期は1億4千6百61万バーツであった。

SCIB – SIAM CITY BANK PUBLIC COMPANY LIMITED
ファイナンサー投資会社から、一般信用債権1億3千4百万バーツを購入。

BCP – THE BANGCHAK PETROLEUM PUBLIC COMPANY LIMITED
来年2010年度EBITDA（税引前利益に、特別損益、支払利息、および減価償却費を加算した値）は、石油精製代金が下落しバーレル当たり4-5ドルになるので、併せて低下するであろうと発表。

PTT – PTT PUBLIC COMPANY LIMITED
- 来年2010年度は、マプタプット問題が解決すれば10%程度の成長になる見通し。
- 新聞報道によれば、エネルギー庁はカンボジアとの協力事業の行方について、たとえ現状カンボジアとの国交関係が普通ではない状態であったとしても、PTTが液化天然ガス(LNG)をカンボジアに世界市場価格で販売することは法律に違反しない。と述べた。

QH – QUALITY HOUSES PUBLIC COMPANY LIMITED
来年2010年度は新規13プロジェクトを開始。価格は156億バーツ程度か。

CPN – CENTRAL PATTANA PUBLIC COMPANY LIMITED
予算を年末商戦向け1億5千万バーツほど集中投資。本年度は25%成長の予測。

CIG – C.I.GROUP PUBLIC COMPANY LIMITED
CIG取締役会は、自社買い取りをした株式6,389,600株を、11月26日に市場に放出を決定。

JTS – JASMINE TELECOM SYSTEMS PUBLIC COMPANY LIMITED
2009年度第3四半期の利益は2千7百万バーツほどで、前年同期は6百22万バーツであった。

ERAWAN – THE ERAWAN GROUP PUBLIC COMPANY LIMITED
2009年度第3四半期の利益は6千9百万バーツほどで、前年同期は2百16万バーツであった。

SEAFCO – SEAFCO PUBLIC COMPANY LIMITED
2009年度第3四半期の利益は2千万バーツほどで、前年同期は4百10万バーツであった。（Info Quest 11月16日配信）

Next to employees, a company’s most valuable asset is its computer data; inventory, payroll, financials, emails and customer activities play a critical role in the day-to-day management and sales activity.  As technology advances, more companies utilize computers as telephones, video conferencing and a plethora of marketing activities.  It’s no wonder, data backup and recovery has become the focus of most business continuity programs.

When assessing data backup and recovery, there are several things to consider:

1. What is your mission critical data
2. How long before missing that data really starts to hurt
3. How much can I afford to spend to protect “the family jewels”
4. What options are available

 Questions 1, 2, and 3 can only be answered by you, after a careful analysis of your company.  This article will focus on question #4, available options.

 Option 1: Backup to a removable device

DVD, thumb drives, USB drives and tape are the common technologies used today.  They require relatively little technology knowledge, and for a desktop computer inexpensive to implement.  The drawback is the human intervention to run the backups and then carry it offsite (it doesn’t do you any good to backup a computer then leave the tapes in the computer room that burns).  Also, once the backup is offsite, security becomes an issue, especially if personal or credit information is involved.  There is also the concern the media might become damaged and render recovery impossible.  Another consideration is that your data is only as current as your last backup, so timing is important.

 Option 2: RAID storage

This is a hardware solution that protects your data from a hard drive failure.  Depending upon the type of RAID level implemented, the data is scattered across multiple devices and then replicated to other drives.  The coverage is limited to a disk failure and there is a one-time cost associated with purchasing the equipment.  However, when needed, it provides a recovery that is imperceptible to the users.

 Option 3: Electronic offsite backup of changes

This popular option takes the changes you’ve made and copies them to an offsite location, usually hosted by a third party.  Many companies offer this service.  As a SunGard partner I have found them to be among the best in the business.  The advantage to this solution is getting the data off of your premises and into a secured location.  The data is typically encrypted so privacy is maintained.  The method can also be scheduled for off hours, so no human intervention is required.  Efficient software has reduced the amount of data being transferred, but adequate bandwidth is something to consider.  This solution also carries a subscription cost that may be offset by reduced labor costs and increased reliability.

 Option 4: Live – Mirrored – Offsite Servers

This is the Cadillac of the backup and recovery options.  Here, you have a computer identical to the one you use in capabilities and capacity.  When a user presses the Enter key, any data that is saved is immediately replicated on the mirrored server.  This also happens during a batch process, such as payroll processing or customer billing.  This mirrored server can be located within your live data center, but a more effective solution is location in a secure, offsite data center.  Again, SunGard and other companies offer this service.  As you might imagine, this doubles your hardware cost and requires higher bandwidth.  However, it is the most reliable to recover since no data is lost.

The best solution for your company be a combination of these options.  They all have their pros and cons.  The challenge, is finding the right fit for you.  The worst solution is doing nothing.

 If you need help in exploring your data backup and recovery options, feel free to contact me at gturner@TechValleyContinuity.com.

Tech Valley Continuity works with companies to help them prepare for the next ice storm, hurricane, computer crash or other event that can jeopardize their future.  If you would like to learn more about Tech Valley Continuity, visit the website at http://TechValleyContinuity.com.

Today I want to look at some hard realities that are the direct result of our sending away troops.  It won’t be a long post.

The tragedy at Ft. Hood is indeed a tragedy.  But it pales in comparison to a tragedy that occurs with more force and regularity than a damaged psychologists  violent outbursts.  On average, every month, 10 people commit suicide at Ft. Hood. We can be assured that if a Muslim American soldier killed 10 people a month at a US Military facility people would begin to wonder about the ability of Ft. Hood to take care of and honor the troops.

Indeed, it is a well known fact that an incredibly large percentage of soldiers sent to war return with lifelong psychological damage.  An overwhelming majority of our homeless are Veterans and suffer from an inability to overcome their injured minds.

War kills and wounds a much larger number of human beings than the number of those lost in battle.  As Christians, it is important that we not lose an opportunity for witness and also judgement in this.  When we send ourselves off to war, we are failing to do a number of things.

• We have not properly calculated the real possibility that a Christian soldier sent off to fight against people of other nations may very well end up fighting and killing Christians in these other nations.  In this situation we have fully subsumed our service to Christ to our service to a finite, temporal and abstract power; in our case, the Nation State of the USA.
• We have failed to realize in our own lives the Cross and sufferings of Christ.  Putting our perceived rights and welfare to such a momentous height that we are willing to kill for them.
• As Americans, we are actually failing to honor the troops.  For one, if we really honored them we would make sure they got the attention that they need to overcome their injuries.  We also would recognize that this cycle doesn’t end.  To honor our injured and dead we might begin to ask about alternative ways of reconciliation.

Even in my own Church this sin is perpetuated.  Compare two prayers.  One a Thanksgiving from the ‘79 BCP, the other the prayer of St. Polycarp before his martyrdom:

“O Judge of the nations, we remember before you with grateful hearts the men and women of our country who in the day of decision ventured much for the liberties we now enjoy.  Grant that we may not rest until all the people of this land share the benefits of true freedom and gladly accept its disciplines. This we ask in the Name of Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen” – (emphasis mine)

” O Lord God Almighty, Father of your beloved and blessed Son Jesus Christ, through whom we have received knowledge of you, the God of angels and powers and of all creation, and of the whole race of the righteous who live in your presence, I bless you because you have considered me worthy of this day and hour, so that I might receive a place among the number of the martyrs in the cup of your Christ, to the resurrection to the life of the age, both of soul and body, in the incorruptibility of the Holy Spirit.  May I be received among them in your presence today, as a rich and acceptable sacrifice, as you have prepared and revealed beforehand, and have now accomplished, you who are the undeceiving and true God.  For this reason, indeed for all things, I praise you, I bless you, I glorify you, through the eternal and heavenly high priest, Jesus Christ, your beloved Son, through whom be glory to you, with him and the Holy Spirit, both now and for the ages to come. Amen” -(trans. Holmes ‘07 – emphasis mine)

Reflecting perhaps a “National-Cathedral-theology” we see in the Prayer Book the need to “accept the disciplines” of “true freedom.”  In St. Polycarp we see that “accepting the disciplines of true freedom” mean something incredibly different and diametrically opposed to the former.  Is it perhaps because we do not witness directly the testimony of the Blessed Martyrs?  Then blessed are they where they are privilaged enough to see such a testimony.

When I speak with folks or give seminars, I’m often asked, “Why should I plan on a crisis? My computers are backed up and I can handle anything else if it occurs, and odds are it won’t.”

That may or may not be true. According to the Department of Homeland Security, 20% of small to medium sized businesses will experience a significant event every 5 years. Of those victims, over 70% will fail within 3 years because of that event. They may have insurance to pay for the physical damage, but how can you recover lost credibility, lost customers, or future revenue. If your business closes its doors for 3-6 months because of a fire, can you afford to pay for employees who are not working and generating revenue?

Here are 3 reasons why your company should plan for a crisis?
1) Your future depends upon it. There are many “things” out there that threaten your company. Ice storms, hurricanes, tornados and fire are the obvious ones. Computer crashes top the list as well. But what about product recalls, false / malicious rumors about your executive team, workplace violence or an inability to fulfill service level agreements because of a pandemic. Proper planning may or may not prevent these from occurring, but you can certainly manage the ramifications if you have a well prepared plan of action.

2) You can actually get more sales with larger customers. How can this happen? You can gain a competitive advantage in a bidding situation. If you and your competition offer the product, with the same quality of service and at the same price, you need a competitive edge; some way to differentiate yourself from the competition. If you can prove to your prospect that you will be there for them – regardless of the circumstances – you will not only be more professional but you will probably win the bid.

3) You will become more efficient in your day-to-day operations. One of the first steps to building your plans is to analyze your work flows. Typically you will find single points of failure and operational bottlenecks. You may identify work being performed that is no longer necessary or can be done differently. You will get a better understanding of your I.T. infrastructure and backup and recovery methods. Your planning may change something that currently takes most of a Saturday to do manually, into a process done automatically at night. These efficiencies can translate into lower costs, higher productivity, improved customer service and ultimately higher sales. And then there’s the ultimate efficiency – if a fire occurs in your facility that will keep you out of the office for 3 months, how much more efficient will you be if you are back in operations with 24 to 48 hours?

One final word of caution, don’t wait until you have the fire to figure out what you need to do. By then it will be too late. Plan ahead and you will be planning to survive.

This is the first of a series of articles that will explain how to go about preparing your company, so that you too can turn a potential disaster into an annoyance.

 Tech Valley Continuity works with companies to help them prepare for the next ice storm, hurricane, computer crash or other event that can jeopardize their future.  If you would like to learn more about Tech Valley Continuity, visit the website at http://TechValleyContinuity.com.

JUBILE – JUBILEE ENTERPRISE PUBLIC COMPANY LIMITED
初日はIPO価格2.8バーツに対して3.16バーツで取引を終えた。JUBILEは本年度成長を10%ほどを見込んでいるが、来年度も引き続き10%以上の成長を見込んでいる。

PTTAR – PTT AROMATICS AND REFINING PUBLIC COMPANY LIMITED
2009年度第3四半期の純利益は17.1億バーツ。昨年度同期は33.8億バーツであった。

SYNEX – SYNNEX (THAILAND) PUBLIC COMPANY LIMITED
2009年度第3四半期の純利益は7千4百万バーツ。昨年度同期は2千8百万バーツであった。

CEN – CAPITAL ENGINEERING NETWORK PUBLIC COMPANY LIMITED
- 2009年度第3四半期の純利益は3千6百万バーツ。昨年度同期は1億7百万バーツであった。
- CEN取締役会は現行の1株当たり5バーツの株を分割し、1株1バーツにすることを決議。

CPF – CHAROEN POKPHAND FOODS PUBLIC COMPANY LIMITED
2009年度第3四半期の純利益は41億2千万バーツ。昨年度同期は13億9千万バーツであった。

BCP – THE BANGCHAK PETROLEUM PUBLIC COMPANY LIMITED
2009年度第3四半期の純利益は21億5千万バーツ。昨年度同期は2億5千万バーツであった。

PERM – PERMSIN STEEL WORKS PUBLIC COMPANY LIMITED
2009年度第3四半期の純利益は7百60万バーツ。昨年度同期は4千9百万バーツであった。

PTT – PTT PUBLIC COMPANY LIMITED
- ガス配管4本、配管長300kmの投資計画あるも、裁判所の環境の人体への影響アセスメント(HIA)の判決を待って投資の予定。
- PTTはカンボジアとの国交問題の影響はないと語るも、カンボジア領内への投資は遅れると述べる。また、PTTのプラサリット社長はNGVの生産について、まだブレーキをかける気はないと語った。民間のガススタンドへの投資を期待することでNGV拡販の投資を抑えることができるとした。

KCE – KCE ELECTRONICS PUBLIC COMPANY LIMITED
来年度2010年の売り上げの伸びは、新規ビジネスを含まずに30%ほどの見込み。本年度Q3の売り上げも大きく伸びた。

LPN – L.P.N. DEVELOPMENT PUBLIC COMPANY LIMITED
2010年度の売上は100億バーツを超える130億バーツの計画。

KASET – THAI HA PUBLIC COMPANY LIMITED
2010年度の売上は、本年度の20億バーツより20-30%伸びる見込み。マージン率も上昇。

TCAP – THANACHART CAPITAL PUBLIC COMPANY LIMITED
グループ内の信用貸し金及びリース契約を入札販売。13億バーツ程度。

UMS – UNIQUE MINING SERVICES PUBLIC COMPANY LIMITED
2010年度は親会社のTTAが計画しているインドネシアの石炭鉱山の買収を含めて、販売量は本年度より30%伸びる予定。（Info Quest 11月10日配信）

にほんブログ村

One of the benefits of having a ministry trainee who is steeped in all things Anglican, which I am not, is having someone to remind me about the church calendar, which I knew existed but didn’t think anyone used. I had done two services yesterday before I knew it was All Saints day.

For the evening service, I came prepared, by including the collect for All Saints. I had to change a line from Common Worship (even though the prayer is the same as the one in the book of common prayer), just for clarity:

Almighty God,
you have knit together your elect
in one communion and fellowship
in the mystical body of your Son Christ our Lord:
grant us grace so to follow your blessed saints
in all virtuous and godly living
that we may come to those inexpressible joys
that you have prepared for those who truly love you;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.

Almighty God,
you have knit together your elect
in one communion and fellowship
in the mystical body of your Son Christ our Lord:
grant us grace so to follow your blessed saints
in true repentance, Christ-centred faith and godly living
that we may come to those inexpressible joys
that you have prepared for those who truly love you;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.

On my travels across the USA on client engagements, I am often asked what does it take to be a successful consultant in the field of BCP.   In mulling this over, below are what I consider key to your success as a consultant: 

• Integrity
• Superior Listening Skills
• Strong Work Ethic
• Willingness to Do the Dirty Work
• High Levels Of Performance
• Sound Knowledge Of All Areas Of BCP And The Proven Ability To Implement All Aspects Of It
• Ability To Speak To All Levels Of Senior Management And Staff
• Second To None Presentation Skills
• Ability To Think On Your Feet
• Dress Appropriately And Present A Highly Professional And Well Groomed Appearance
• Etiquette
• Ability To Get Things Done And Have Them Work
• Superior Facilitation Skills
• Exude Confidence At All Times
• Bullet Proof References
• Customer Service Skills
• Knowing Your Strengths and Weaknesses

In the end, it comes down to the relationships you have established with your clients for you to be successful long-term.  The greatest vote of confidence is having your clients refer you to their colleagues or speak to your prospective clients with no hesitation.  At MHA, we retain clients an average of five years; we are very proud of this fact and do everything we can to protect our reputation as well as our client relationship.

About MHA:  MHA Consulting, with its decade-long track record, is a proven leader in business continuity planning, disaster recovery planning, IT best practices and data center moves and relocations. Every day, MHA helps protect trillions of dollars of global-market assets and top companies around the world rely on MHA services for the continuity of their business. For more information on MHA, contact Michael Herrera at herrera@mha-it.com.

The “Human Factor” is the single greatest variable in your BCP program.  You can have plans, strategies, multiple contingencies but it still comes down to people and their inner workings.  People have their biases and beliefs  There is a level of narcissism and a need for control.  Also, there is a fear of failing in front of their peers or a fear of reprisal.

 These various kinds of stress can have an impact on decision-making.  The belief that they must solve all issues without collaboration can lead to unfavorable results.  Knowing the personalities of the team and how they work together can greatly improve the quality of your BCP program.  Training is key here.

 A grouping of the various factors each person on a crisis management team brings with them that you must deal with include:

• Decision Making Styles
• Conflict Styles
• Education
• Family History
• Narcissism

I believe that key crisis management team members should be selected based on ability to execute and not just because they are senior leaders in a particular role.  Look out for leaders taking over and not collaborating.   Infighting, inability to make decisions, and other similar traits are also not desirable.  Some people thrive on pressure while others don’t.  People’s view of the leader can have a positive or negative impact.  Mix up the teams, change the leaders, require primaries work with alternates, use team building exercises, etc. to build a cohesive, well-oiled team that can stand strong in the heat of a crisis.

About MHA:  MHA Consulting, with its decade-long track record, is a proven leader in business continuity planning, disaster recovery planning, IT best practices and data center moves and relocations. Every day, MHA helps protect trillions of dollars of global-market assets and top companies around the world rely on MHA services for the continuity of their business. For more information on MHA, contact Michael Herrera at herrera@mha-it.com.

Recently, there was an article in the September Harvard Business Review and it focused on Assessing Risk today.  Traditionally, there has been a focus on planning for high probability, high impact events.  As a consequence, the planning for low probability/high consequence events has been neglected.

The article stated that companies have become adept at managing predictable, lower-level risks; they have a false sense of security about their ability to anticipate and deal with more hazardous events.

Low probability/high consequence events are also known as “Black Swan” events. Good examples of these “Black Swan” events are the Madoff Ponzi Scheme and the failure of Lehman Brothers, etc.   In the business continuity realm, September 11 was a Black Swan event.  Nassim Nicholas Taleb in his 2007 book The Black Swan deemed the following criteria to define such an event:

• The event is a surprise (to the observer).
• The event has a major impact.

After the fact, the event is rationalized by hindsight, as if it had been expected. So, how do we make management aware of Black Swan events and prepare for them?  We recommend you develop a “Heat Map” and plot the likelihood and significance of various types of threats at the organization.  This Heat Map, which should be a component of your Threat and Risk Assessment, should focus senior executives on unlikely but potentially devastating risk that merit but do not receive the attention they do.

About MHA:  MHA Consulting, with its decade-long track record, is a proven leader in business continuity planning, disaster recovery planning, IT best practices and data center moves and relocations. Every day, MHA helps protect trillions of dollars of global-market assets and top companies around the world rely on MHA services for the continuity of their business. For more information on MHA, contact Michael Herrera at herrera@mha-it.com.

Con este título el próximo día 24 de noviembre a las 18.30 horas tendrá lugar el próximo acto de la Comisión de Organización y Sistemas de Información (OSI). El acto tendrá lugar en la sede del Colegio de Economistas de Catalunya (Av. Diagonal, 512, pral. – Barcelona) y estará orientado a darnos a conocer en que consiste la Gestión de la Continuidad de Negocio, una disciplina en alza.

El acto es gratuito pero el foro es limitado, las inscripciones se realizan enviando un mail a info@accid.org.

Más información en el Blog de la Comisión OSI.

Estoy seguro de que se lo he dicho a Gabriela varias veces. Por ejemplo tomando café descafeinado un domingo a las 11 de la noche, o estacionados más temprano en el malecón, hablando de Italia y España, cada uno, respectivamente. Se lo dije a Clo el día del concierto de Depeche Mode mientras caminábamos en frente de ese cuerpo artificial, ese armatoste terrible que es la oficina principal del BCP en Santa Patricia. Un momento en la terraza de un piso 17 en San Isidro, desde donde maravillosamente se pueden ver los cerros al norte y al este, la playa de la Bahía de Miraflores al oeste, en todas direcciones la ciudad chata y horrorosa, extendida como una sábana sucia, incluso el sunset, en los veranos un sunset cegador que es como una lámpara roja y huachafa, se lo comenté a Rafael y Estefanía y se rieron. Se lo escribí una vez por messenger a Luciana y también se rió (entonces empecé a considerar que quizás sí era gracioso). Se lo he querido decir el domingo a Carolina, quizás antes también, pero se me ha pasado. Probablemente le he dicho cualquier otra cosa en cambio (hay demasiadas cosas que quiero decirle constantemente a Carolina y es entonces muy natural que se me olviden algunas, que no pueda decirlas todas al mismo tiempo).

A Rafael y Estefanía se los dije en medio de un ventarrón y probablemente ni lo recuerden. Estefanía miraba hacia Ripley y Rafael señalaba el nuevo logo del Interbank. Yo trataba de ver por la ventana del baño de mujeres del edifico de al lado y se los dije como se dicen las tragedias en una oficina: con aplomo práctico, como si fueran triviales cojudeces que se dicen rápido mientras se trata de ver dentro de un baño de mujeres y no cuestiones materiales, como si en el instante de un ventarrón cierta providencia –además infalible– fuera a salvarnos de ellas de cualquier modo y no importara realmente lo que pensáramos o pensaran otros al respecto. En efecto, ellos no piensan nada al respecto. Pero a Clo se le dije distinto, como de casualidad. Casi fue un lapsus. Así como el criminal que es atrapado porque delicadamente suelta la verdad en una conversación cualquiera, sobre carros, sobre helados, sobre libros, quién sabe: sobre recetas para escalfar huevos, precisamente de ese modo. Íbamos andando junto al armatoste, yo tomaba té verde y ella comía galletas y yo lo dejé entrever. A Gabriela, en cambio, se lo dije sinceramente, con total intención y no con poca resignación, porque a Gabriela la conozco hace 17 años (y no 10, como ella piensa) y le puedo hablar con sinceridad y resignación, sin discriminar. Por supuesto, también se rió.

Especulo que hay una distancia entre todo y nosotros, entre lo que esperamos y lo que somos. No hay –casi nunca la hay– una coincidencia efectiva entre lo que funciona y lo que somos capaces de hacer. Hay habilidades básicas que se deben conocer. Hay técnicas implícitas que todos deben dominar. Ocurre, y no en pocas ocasiones, que esto no sucede. Luego, se define una brecha. Y en esta brecha, o en las distintas formas como somos concientes de esta brecha, está trazado absolutamente todo lo que haremos, querremos, besaremos, sucederá.

Le he empezado a escribir a Carolina mi papá no me enseñó a saltar, a golpear, a…

The flu season is upon us and news reports are stating that H1N1 will be wide spread this season. IT executives should review and update their disaster recovery/BCP plans and if they do not have one, develop a pandemic plan.

As part of your pandemic planning the following points should be reviewed:

1. If you do not have a plan you should develop one. All businesses, no matter how small, should have some type of plan in place to deal with operational disruptions.
2. If you have a plan, review and update. Make sure your communication plan is also up-to-date.
3. Have a staffing plan to deal with situations when 30-40% of your staff are out at any one time.
4. Work with management to develop an action plan for critical actions you need to take within your company to continue to provide core services.
5. Keep informed on local and national news about increase cases.
6. Create a decision-making protocol for how and when you will ramp up your response when needed.
7. Ensure that staff, especially executive staff, know what their roles will be.
8. Encourage clear communications across you business units.

Elections have come and gone, the BDP is still the ruling party. They get another term in office, the next five years belong to them to continue the legacy they have so far built in the past 43 years. They seriously thrashed the opposition with a win of 79% of the majority which equates to 45 constituencies out of 57. In the 2004 general elections, the BDP won 44 of the 57 which means this time around they have gained an extra seat in parliament. The opposition has not changed hands with the BNF still the main opposition party in Parliament but they have lost ground, winning only 6 of the 12 seats held by the opposition whereas in 2004 they held 12 of the 13 seats that were grabbed by the opposition. The biggest winners from this year’s elections are the BCP, they have grabbed a number of council wards and also 5 parliamentary seats compared to just one in 2004. BNF’s problems clearly show that the expulsions and suspensions that they meteed out to members didnt help their cause as it shows with the win of Nehemiah Modubule who won the Lobatse Constituency as an individual (mokoko as they are known).

Now that battle is over the next coming ones will be interesting. Who is Ian Khama as president going to settle for as the vice-president? Is he going to take someone outside politics right now to fill the position? Is he going to go with someone who won the elections recently? Anyway, thats a different article entirely which is going to be next after this one. One more battle would be for the speaker of the national assembly. This is one might turn nasty because different factions of the BDP want different people to fill the positions. Its one to keep an eye on too. Then the most of the thorny issues is going to be who are the special elected members of parliament? Jacob Nkate was scalped in the recent elections, is he getting a comeback as a special elected? All this questions are to be answered in the next few weeks as the president will be walking out as the proper president having been elected by the people. His one & half term was marred by a lot of people saying he wasn’t elected by the people, now that he has, cant wait to see what his proper presidency has instore for us.

Hoy en día son indispensables y prácticamente no existe establecimiento que no las acepte. Las tarjetas han sufrido una evolución importante durante las últimas décadas, desde aspectos como el diseño y materiales utilizados hasta los modelos de operación. El cambio es significativo, hecho que comprobó 3×1 al desempolvar billeteras del pasado.

• Tarjeta Clave. Mucho antes que Bonus y la fallida Más Más, Scala operó su propia tarjeta de fidelización. Esta era de cartón y llevó el nombre de Tarjeta Clave. En lugar de puntos, los clientes recibían descuentos, principalmente en productos non food, a cambio de sus consumos. La Tarjeta Clave contó con más de una versión, cada una con un distinto porcentaje de rebaja.

• CrediHogar. En los noventa, el Banco de Crédito incursionó en la operación de tarjetas para retailers. La primera fue CrediHogar, ‘plástico’ que reemplazó al crédito ofrecido directamente por Hogar. La tarjeta se mantuvo en el mercado hasta mediados de la década pasada, cuando el Grupo Orión tomó la propiedad de la cadena fundada por Beto Levy y lanzó un nuevo ‘plástico’ propio.

• CMR Falabella. Falabella arribó al Perú en 1994 y lo hizo con su tarjeta CMR, siglas de Crédito Multi Rotativo. Como particularidad, la primera versión local de CMR llevó el logo de Saga. Meses después, la cadena cambió oficialmente de marca a Saga Falabella y el logo de Saga desapareció de los ‘plásticos’ emitidos.