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What Achilles can Teach us About Threat Management

Vulnerability assessments and management in the new risk landscape. Threat assessment

By: Dell Spry There are numerous similar, seemingly inconsequential, soft targets scattered across our country unprotected by a single surveillance camera or even a strand of barbed wire. Is this issue getting the attention it deserves? Just whose responsibility is it to make that determination? Have you included threat planning in your risk management strategy?…

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The SolarWinds Supply Chain Attack: What Businesses Need to Know

The solarwinds supply chain hack represented by 6 locks, one of which is a different color

What is the SolarWinds Supply Chain Attack? SolarWinds, the Austin-based cybersecurity firm, found itself in the middle of a catastrophe due to internal security lapses. The firm recently earned headlines for making it to the list of unsuspecting service providers targeted for its elite supply chain. A week ago, the popular Cybersecurity firm confirmed falling…

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Lessons Businesses Must Learn from the Nashville Bombing

Picture of downtown Nashville Tennessee a dusk. Lessons learned from the nashville bombing

The sound of gunfire punctuated the peaceful hush of Christmas morning. According to one witness, “It sounded like an automatic weapon.” About 10 minutes later she heard a second round of gunfire, then a third. When police arrived at the scene a little after 5:30am they found an RV parked in front of a nondescript…

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3 Simple Practices to Optimize School Safety During Covid-19

Hallway camera in a school providing a safe and secure learning environment, How to optimize school safety for COVID-19

Maximizing safety for students and employees If you’re anything like me, keeping your family safe is your number one priority. During the Covid-19 pandemic, this means minimizing social contact to reduce the chances of infection.  If you are a school administrator, your family extends beyond the bounds of your home. It includes the students, teachers,…

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4 Crucial Things To Know About Business Impact Analysis

a puzzle with a misisng piece revealing a dollar as a symbol of business impact analysis

Risk is not optional. If you own a business, chances are, you will confront risks at some point. What’s more, as your business grows, potential business disruptions will increase in both frequency and harm potential. It’s not possible to foresee every risk. Nonetheless, a business impact analysis can help you plan for and mitigate the…

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3 Overlooked Tips to Destress During the Holidays

Family and friends enjoying a carefree holiday meal because they know to destress during the holidays

Bring home holiday gifts without the baggage It’s that time of the year. Some would say the most wonderful time. But for others, the lights and tinsel of the holidays evoke strong memories of the ghosts of holidays past.  The holidays offer a chance to reconnect with family and friends, take that much needed R&R,…

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Top 5 Problems Facing the Retail Industry

And the best ways to solve them We’ve all heard the Black Friday stories of fist fights breaking out in aisles of the local big-box retailer. To the average person, such stories are humorous. But to retail business owners, they are a cause for concern. Yet, such glaring examples hardly scratch the surface of the…

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Holiday Safety Tips

family playing outside while traveling for the holidays

3 practical ways to stay safe in 2020 We’ve all heard humorous holiday tales. They make for great entertainment around the table during a turkey dinner. You know the stories–e.g., the time Uncle Frank fell off of the roof into a snowbank while putting up holiday lights. Unfortunately, these hijinks are not always so innocent.…

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The Transformational Power of Threat Assessments

Lighthouse on a lonely dirt road preventing the threat of shipwrecks

Ignoring Risk won’t make it go away Cyber crime is one of the most insidious threats facing businesses. As reported here, more than 50% of businesses have suffered cyber attacks–70% of them being small to medium-sized businesses with as many as 60% going out of business following such an attack.  Yet, one study found that…

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3 Practical Strategies to Protect Your Small Business During Covid-19

small business team smiling after sucessfully navigating a crisis using their crisis management plan

3 Practical Strategies to Protect Your Small Business During Covid-19 October 15, 2020 / Chesley Brown Ensure the Future of Your Company Small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) comprise a massive portion of American industry. In fact, 99% of all businesses have less than 500 employees; 98% of them have fewer than 100, and small businesses…

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The Anatomy of a Crisis Management Plan

overhead view of business people working on a crisis management plan outside

4 key strategies to protect your business against risk By Justin Hayes No executive expects a crisis to strike. But every day organizations fall prey to the unforeseen. One study found that 40% of businesses fail after natural disasters. Yet, only half of all businesses have a crisis management plan in place.  This is surprising,…

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What is Business Continuity?

Business COntinuity Plan Illustration

Before completely rewriting your Business Continuity Plan, it helps to understand the fundamentals of business continuity. I put together the following FAQ to give you a better understanding of the underlying information and provide a little more context, and hopefully answer some of your lingering questions. Business Continuity FAQ What is a Business Continuity Plan?…

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How to Prepare for Economic Risk

Best Strategies for Building Resiliency How to position your business for uncertainty If there is one aspect of business that is certain, it’s uncertainty. It might also be the understatement of the year to say that 2020 has had its fair share of uncertainty. Although you may feel like the odds are stacked against you…

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The Risk Takers Podcast Series Launches Today!

Chesley Brown Launches the Risk Takers Podcast Series Security Risk Management experts Chesley Brown Companies today announced the launch of “The Risk Takers Podcast Series” — a highly bingeable podcast hosted by veteran risk management professional, entrepreneur, and Chesley Brown Chairman, Brent Brown. The show, which is uploaded every Tuesday showcases stories from notable security…

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10 Steps for Building a Crisis Management Communication Strategy

hand stopping dominos from falling, represent a crisis being prevents or stopped

Small changes have a big impact. As a public health crisis of worldwide proportions comes into focus, it is imperative for individuals, organizations, and nations to develop effective resilience strategies, including communications and outreach as part of any comprehensive crisis management plan. Chesley Brown has responded to the COVID-19 crisis by making our Resource Center…

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7 Tips the Pros Won’t Tell You About Budgeting For Risk

Every business must create its own process for identifying, testing, and budgeting for risk. We studied the data and talked to several industry-leading CSOs to find out how they do it. How much should your company spend on security? The simple answer: It depends. Whether we’re talking physical security, cybersecurity, or risk mitigation practices, every…

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The Future of Work

Two people riding a moving sidewalk into a bright white void to represent transformation

The Future of Work: Protecting Trade Secrets Written by: Dell Spry Many businesses, both large and small, are desperately seeking ways to keep their companies operational with all of  the closures and uncertainties associated with the COVID-19 virus crashing in on them. Hopefully, most have an established continuity of business plan to guide them through…

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Managing Risk During a Pandemic

Graphic of two people Looking at charts and graphs representing a risk assessment

5 Tips for Conducting Better Risk Assessments for a Pandemic In earlier sections, we discussed the need for a risk-based approach and outlined 6 New Business Risks to consider when preparing your business for coronavirus. The Covid-19 pandemic and recession will affect every business, but to what extent will vary based on industry, geography, company…

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