Disasters strike with no warning. All organizations, small or large, need to be prepared for disaster. Judicious planning is the difference between surviving unscathed and being overwhelmed. The smaller your organization, the more critical planning is.

The critical part of planning for business survival is identifying what must be preserved and how it must be preserved. Disasters, both natural and man-made, strike with little notice. If planning has not been done in advance, it is difficult to wrest salvation from the problem with ad-hoc solutions.

Planning for business survival can be done successfully for any size business. The centrality of computer stored information to all aspects of modern business, while increasing vulnerability, also provides the tools to defend against the risk. Used properly; digital media store unprecedented volumes of data in equally small physical packages. The common broadband connection, properly used, can transfer business critical data in minutes, complete archives in a matter of hours. In short, data migrations that formerly required armies of movers can be accomplished in a matter of minutes using a standard consumer broadband connection.

Business survival is more than preserving data and replacing equipment. In some cases, the technical infrastructure will be damaged while the business stays in place.

We will review core business survival issues and how appropriate planned responses are available to all, from the part time small business to the largest corporations.

Speaker:	Our speaker will be Robert Gezelter, a Senior Member of IEEE and a member of the IEEE Computer Society’s Distinguished Visitors Program. Mr. Gezelter holds BA and MS degrees in Computer Science from New York University. He is a contributor to the Computer Security Handbook (2002) and the Handbook of Information Security (2005). He has spoken and written extensively on operating systems, networks, performance, security, tools, and similar areas. Mr. Gezelter is in private practice, and maintains his offices in Flushing, New York. He can be contacted via his firm’s www site at http://www.rlgsc.com.
Sponsors:	IEEE New Orleans Section and Computer Society
Venue:	Andreas Restaurant 3100 19th Street Metairie, Louisiana  70002
Date:	Tuesday, November 15, 2005
Time:	6:30 PM Cash/Bar 7:00 PM Dinner 8:00 PM Speaker
Reservations:	j.malm-at-ieee.org, Subject: Nov Section Meeting RSVP +1 (985) 809 3917 Deadline: November 11, 2005
Admission:	General Public: $ 40.00; Members: $ 15.00, Students/Retirees: $ 10.00
Session Notes:	http://www.rlgsc.com/ieee/NewOrleans/2005-11/businesssurvival.html