pandemic

Surviving Swine Flu Outbreak with UC

The United States government is warning schools and businesses to be prepared for a Swine Flu epidemic this Fall. VoIP and unified communications can be a critical component of business continuity during an outbreak like Swine Flu.

We got a brief taste of Swine Flu earlier this year, but it wasn’t really flu season in the northern hemisphere so it was sort of a flash in the pan. Even that brief glimpse wreaked havoc and caused panic around the world. Mexico completely shut down to prevent human interaction and contain the virus. Schools throughout the world were shut down to ensure the Swine Flu wouldn’t spread through the student population.

Pharmaceutical companies are hard at work cranking out the vaccine for the Swine Flu, but there may not be enough for everyone so high risk groups will get preference. Besides, you may not want to be at the front of the line for a brand new vaccine that was rushed through development.

The United States government has issued some guidance for how to prepare for and respond to an epidemic outbreak. One suggestion is to cross-train employees on critical functions to ensure that the function will get done. That reminds me of Star Trek: The Next Generation. I always wondered how everyone seemed to know everyone else’s job and be able to jump in at a moment’s notice. It would seem to me that being an engineer of a starship and being a navigator of a starship would be very different roles and that it would be tough to become expert at both. I guess it was in the script though.

Another suggestion in the government guidance is to minimize face-to-face contact. No face-to-face contact means no opportunity for germs to spread. That is where UC comes in. With audio and video conferencing, instant messaging, and VoIP voice service many job functions can be performed from anywhere. Those who think they may be getting sick should stay home and work virtually. If employees start reporting that they are sick, businesses should implement work from home even on a temporary basis to eliminate face-to-face contact and allow business to continue without risking an even larger outbreak among employees.

Make sure your company has a plan in place for how to prevent or respond to an outbreak, and make sure that unified communications is a key component of that plan.

Business Continuity and Cost-Cutting with UC

Over the past few years I have been a guest on the IMI-TechTalk radio show, hosted by Tom D’Auria, a number of times. TechTalk is broadcast on KFNX AM 1100 out of Phoenix, AZ, but you can also listen to a live stream of the show via the Web as well. Tune in at 6pm Eastern / 5pm Central on Sundays to listen to the show live. If you miss the live show, you can check back on the IMI-TechTalk blog and find a link to the recorded MP3’s to download after the fact.

That brings me to my most recent guest appearance. It was impromptu on about 30 seconds notice. There was some time zone confusion with the scheduled guest of the IMI-TechTalk radio show. I received a phone call in the middle of the show while Tom was live on the air asking me to step in and do the live show impromptu. So, I jumped on the air and host Tom D’Auria and I proceeded to discuss unified communications. Specifically, we talked about how unified communications pays for itself and can help companies save money, as well as how it fits into business continuity plans and preventing or responding to a pandemic outbreak or any other disaster. 

You can play the downloaded MP3 of the show from the link on this blog post: IMI-TechTalk: Business Continuity and Cost-Cutting With Unified Communications.

Five DRBC Tips For Coping with a Pandemic

I know I am beating a dead horse. I have two points though in my defense..no wait- three points.

1. H1N1 / swine flu did not go away. It is not daily headline news anymore, but it is still out there and still spreading. As of this week there are almost 9,000 cases and 15 deaths just in the United States.
2. Even if H1N1 / swine flu is not *the* virus that will truly become the next pandemic, history and probability suggest that one will eventually come along.
3. The last- and arguably best- point is that these tips just make sense. Whether it is due to an epedemic or pandemic, or a natural disaster, or any other reason, these tips will help your organization be prepared to continue business as usual…or at least close enough to usual that business will still get done.

Check out Five DR Tips to Cope with a Pandemic for some tips you can put to use and put in place now so that you are prepared when a disaster strikes.

Preventing a Swine Flu Pandemic with Unified Communications

The swine flu is now suspected to have hit Italy, Spain, Denmark, the United States, Mexico, France, Canada, Israel, Australia, and New Zealand. It has claimed more than 100 lives in Mexico, and there are more than 40 confirmed cases scattered throughout the United States from Texas to Michigan and from California to New York.

With Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano declaring a health emergency in the United States and the World Health Organization (WHO) raising the pandemic alert level to Phase 4, people around the world are concerned.

Unified communications already presents a solid business case for cutting costs and streamlining business processes, but a situation like the current swine flu outbreak makes that case even stronger. When the world is healthy organizations can enjoy the cost savings of conducting voice and video conferences and collaborating online rather than spending money traveling around the world. With a swine flu epidemic threatening to grow into an official pandemic conducting voice and video conferences remotely rather than traveling and meeting face to face becomes a business imperative and a piece of a solid business continuity gameplan.

Minimizing travel and face to face exposure allows organizations to continue to meet with partners and customers, collaborate with coworkers, and conduct business while minimizing or eliminating the risk of exposure to infectious disease like the swine flu.

Save the planet and yourself. Use unified communications.