In this illuminating episode of the Preparedex LLC podcast, we took a close look at the SEC’s newly finalized cybersecurity disclosure rules, a topic that’s become pivotal in corporate boardrooms across the country. With its potential to redefine the landscape for public companies, it’s crucial for business leaders, investors, and professionals alike to grasp the intricacies of this pivotal change. 

Joining us was distinguished guest, Brian Haugli, CEO of SideChannel, whose expertise and insight shed light on the implications and intricacies of these new regulations. Brian shared his journey in the cybersecurity world, offering both perspective and advice based on his years of experience in the field. 

Points Discussed:  

• The New Landscape: How does the SEC’s new cybersecurity disclosure rule affect public companies? 

Connect with Brian on LinkedIn

In today’s episode of the PreparedEx podcast, we invite a specialist in simulation exercises to explore a diverse range of topics. Here’s what we cover: 

Nuclear Strategic Level Exercises: Our guest provides insight into the intricacies of planning and executing nuclear strategic level exercise scenarios, discussing the key factors that make these simulations successful and enlightening. 

Critical Infrastructure Exercises: We delve into the complexities of infrastructure simulations, exploring how they represent potential issues that could arise and how the lessons learned are utilized to enhance our infrastructure’s resilience. 

Water Supply Exercises: Discover the challenges that typically crop up in water supply simulations, and learn how these exercises can mitigate the potential problems in real-world scenarios, such as natural disasters or terrorism. 

Electricity Grid Exercises: As our power supply evolves, so do the simulations that prepare us for emergencies. Find out how these exercises have been adapted to renewable energy sources and smart grids and how they influence real-world contingency planning. 

Join us in this enlightening exploration into the vital role that simulation exercises play in our society’s resilience and preparedness. Remember, knowledge is power, and at “Simulation Central,” we strive to empower you with the information you need to understand our rapidly changing world. 

Connect with Bob McCreight on LinkedIn

In this episode, we explore the crucial task of securing senior leadership buy-in for a Crisis Simulation Exercise Program. With the unpredictability of the business world, being prepared for potential crises is an absolute necessity, not a luxury. Crisis simulations play a significant role in this preparedness, but getting the top brass on board can often be challenging. 

We dive deep into six key strategies to garner leadership support: 

Demonstrating the Value: We discuss the importance of emphasizing the potential impact of crises and the role of crisis simulations in mitigating these risks. Case studies and real-world examples serve to illustrate the value and importance of these programs. 

Presenting a Clear Plan: Clarity wins the day. We look at how to outline a comprehensive plan for your proposed simulation program, aligning it with the organization’s strategic objectives and demonstrating its potential for improving operational efficiency. 

Offering a Cost-Benefit Analysis: We explore the importance of speaking the language of the boardroom. By comparing the cost of implementing a simulation program with the potential losses from a poorly managed crisis, you can make a strong case for your initiative. 

Engaging Senior Leaders: We stress the importance of active participation and involvement of senior leaders in the simulation program. This engagement fosters a sense of ownership and commitment to the initiative. 

Showcasing Successes from Other Organizations: Nothing persuades like success. We discuss how to use examples from other companies that have benefited from similar programs to demonstrate the effectiveness of your proposal. 

Ensuring Continuous Feedback and Improvement: Finally, we underscore the importance of keeping the leadership engaged even after the program’s implementation. Regular feedback, updates, and improvements help illustrate the ongoing value of the program. 

Whether you are an executive, crisis coordinator, or simply interested in organizational resilience, this episode is packed with insights and practical advice to help you navigate crisis preparedness in your organization. Tune in for a deep dive into crisis readiness. 

Rob is a Principal at PreparedEx where he manages a team of crisis preparedness professionals and has over 20 years of experience preparing for and responding to crises. Part of his leadership role includes assisting PreparedEx clients in designing, implementing and evaluating crisis, emergency, security and business continuity management programs. During his career Rob has worked for the US State Department’s Anti-Terrorism Assistance Program, as a crisis management consultant in Pakistan and Afghanistan where he negotiated with the UN and Pashtun tribal warlords and he served with the United Kingdom Special Forces where he operated internationally under hazardous covert and confidential conditions. Rob was also part of a disciplined and prestigious unit The Grenadier Guards where he served Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II at the Royal Palaces in London. Rob was a highly trained and experienced infantryman serving in Desert Storm and commanded covert operational teams and was a sniper. Rob has keynoted disaster recovery conferences and participated in live debates on FOX News regarding complex security requirements and terrorism. Rob has a Queen’s Commendation for Bravery.

The PreparedEx Podcast is ranked #41 in most listened to Management podcast. https://blog.feedspot.com/management_podcasts/ 

In this engaging episode, our guest Ruben Hoornveld, a seasoned security professional based in Somalia, shares his first-hand experiences and insights from the recent Sudan crisis. 

Our conversation begins with the guest’s personal account of the impact the Sudan crisis had on their work in Somalia. Ruben shared complexities of operating in such volatile environments are examined, illuminating the interconnectedness of regional geopolitical crises. 

Next, he describes the immediate developments they observed during the escalation of the Sudan crisis and how these changes influenced their own situation in Somalia. The parallels drawn provide unique insight into the rapidly evolving dynamics of such crises. 

The conversation takes a deeper dive into the major challenges organizations faced during the crisis and explores strategies for effective navigation through similar future events. The focus is on the importance of preparation, flexibility, and resilience in the face of uncertainty. 

The PreparedEx Podcast is ranked #41 in most listened to Management podcast. https://blog.feedspot.com/management_podcasts/

Join us in episode 118 as we dive into the world of incident management with our esteemed guest, Timothy Cohen, an Incident Manager from a top technology company. We’ll explore their role, common types of incidents, and best practices for effective response and recovery. Learn how prioritization, communication, and continuous improvement are key components to successful incident management. Discover the valuable lessons they’ve learned from past incidents and how they see the role of an Incident Manager evolving in the future. Whether you’re an IT professional, a tech enthusiast, or simply curious about the inner workings of technology companies, this episode will provide valuable insights into the crucial function of incident management in the modern digital age. 

In this episode, Rob takes you through the critical steps to consider before diving into your first exercise program. He shares the importance of gaining internal support, assessing your existing expertise, and mapping out the program’s objectives and scope. Rob also emphasizes the value of a two or three-year approach to progressively build capabilities, as well as the need to budget for the program. Don’t miss this insightful guide to successfully launching your exercise program journey! 

In Episode 116 of the podcast, we interviewed Steve Kuhr CEO of Kuhr Group, LLC. Here’s the questions we posed to Steve:  

1. Before we get into community resilience, can you set the stage in terms of what a strong emergency preparedness program looks like for a business?  

1. Can you share what your top three programs would be if you were building a program from scratch and had to prioritize?  

1. Why are communities better prepared to face disasters when those businesses within those communities are resilient?  

1. Why is working with your local first responders and other community preparedness groups important for organizational resilience?  

1. We have seen several rail disasters in recent months, and I know you you’ve been monitoring the one in East Palestine, Ohio. What in your opinion are two of the key lessons that need to be learned from this crisis? Please add some context for future listeners who may not have heard about this event.  

1. What would be your number one piece of advice for anyone looking to get into the emergency / crisis preparedness field?  

1. Finally, exercises. Can you tell 3 short stories a good, a bad and an ugly from your own experiences in being part of or actually running exercises. Feel free to have two good and one not so good…. 

In Episode 115 of the podcast, we interviewed Piyali Mandal who is leading the way with research on how AI is impacting the world of crisis and disaster management. We spoke about crisis communication messaging, how AI can help with forecasting risk, how it’s not emotionally intelligent, as well as scenario and exercise planning.  

Piyali Mandal on LinkedIn

Show Notes:

1. The BCI Emergency and Crisis Communications Report 2023, sponsored by F24. Available at: https://www.thebci.org/news/bci-launches-emergency-crisis-communications-report-2023.html. 
 
2. The Conference Board® C-Suite Outlook 2023 On the Edge Driving Growth and Mitigating Risk Amid Extreme Volatility. Available at: https://www.conference-board.org/pdfdownload.cfm?masterProductID=44769. 
 
3. Küsters, A. (2022). AI as Systemic Risk in a Polycrisis: The Danger of Algorithmic Prediction in Unknown Environments. CEP Adhoc. Available at: https://www.cep.eu/fileadmin/user_upload/cep.eu/Studien/cepAdhoc_AI_as_Systemic_Risk_in_a_Polycrisis/cepAdhoc_AI_as_Systemic_Risk_in_a_Polycrisis.pdf 

In episode 114 we spoke with Donna Speckhard who is Resilience leader at Fannie Mae. We covered everything from third party risk to global intelligence and the role it plays in operational resilience. Donna has a wealth of experience, and our discussion is one that you won’t want to miss.  

In episode 113 of the podcast, Rob interviewed Bruce McIndoe of McIndoe Risk Advisory, LLC. Rob spoke to Bruce about Geopolitical Risk and the current situation. Bruce provided insight into his experience with helping organizations manage geological situations with a key focus on the effects. Rob and Bruce spoke about exercises and the importance of conducting them early in the planning process. Another one you won’t want to miss.  

1. MRA work in Geopolitical “space”. Geopolitical Forecasts for F500 companies and Associations. Geopolitical Risk Management, mitigation strategies and contingency planning. 

2. Challenges – Long burn (when to trigger for action); Quick burn (no time to prepare); Just Right (seldom happens – time for preparation and timely action taking) – Cascading linkages; Polycrisis;  

3. Geopolitical Scenarios – Political unrest, coup, nation state border/resource conflict, military action, war, etc. 

4. Scenario Planning – first focus on Effects and not Causes; For example, what is the plan if our back-office operations in country X is disrupted or non-available? Less important what the cause was, but critical that the organization deal with the effect. 

5. Evacuations: I have been involved in evacuation and rapid exit operations for more than 20 years as CEO of iJET and then WorldAware. These operations have been conducted all around the world.  

6. 2023 “Predictions” From my report in “ONTIC Security Industry Forecasts for 2023 and Beyond” Organizations will need to continue to monitor and respond to all the current major global issues that will persist into 2023 such as the Russia-Ukraine War, continued aggression by China, climate change driven severe weather, supply and transport disruptions, along with global stress and unrest driven by continued inflation and food insecurity.  

Protective leaders should plan for potential issues such as a new and more challenging COVID variant, nation-state aggression, territorial disputes and political instability. Success in navigating this dynamic global environment where the frequency and severity of threats and events seem to be ever-increasing will require:

1) more continuous risk monitoring (current and evolving) and assessment;

2) balancing current response activities with proactive preparedness; and

3) staying abreast of changing organizational objectives and enhancing your risk-related communications with management. 

7. Simulation Exercises. One of my key tenants is that if you want to build real response and recovery capabilities, you need to regularly conduct exercises. In fact, through our Agile Business Continuity framework, we start each planning sprint with an exercise. This baselines current capabilities and aligns all participants on the gaps and areas for improvement. From there, the planning process is more informed and in most cases the planning team is more motivated.  

I developed a global exercise for a large IT outsourcing company in the summer of 2012. The scenario was a contractor with insider access inserted a USB drive into a computer on a major middle eastern oil company and took down their network and business. We ran the exercise. Lots of lessons learned. And a month later… 

“The virus — called Shamoon after a word embedded in its code —was unleashed on 15 August 2012 by a a company insider with privileged access to Aramco’s network. Instead of solely collecting information, the virus revealed its highly destructive nature as it rendered the infected computers unusable.”