BANG is a get together of Business Continuity management people who are entertained during the evening by a "controversial" guest speaker, in a social atmosphere. Sponsored and hosted by Barclay Simpson, it is FREE and held on the last Wednesday of each month, in Central London.

This month's speaker will be Stephen Nuttall MBCI

The theme of Stephen's talk will be " How to lose money and kill your business." Having spent the last 20 years delivering, reviewing and auditing various aspects of service continuity, here are some things Stephen has learnt about:

Business

• Einstein was a total waster - business need people who deliver NOW.....(Or maybe CEOs aren't always right...?)
• Short-term gain often (too often) leads to long-term failure. (Our job is to stand up and be counted).
• BCP is utterly useless. (Unless you can show the business benefit at board level).

Business Continuity

• Process focus is important but can easily give a false sense of security. (But it's much easier and looks very impressive...)
• The BIA should identify the necessary outcomes - often they don't. (It doesn't really matter HOW we do it - it matters WHAT we achieve as an outcome).
• As a rule of thumb: the more that a client specifies a solution, the less likely it is to work...... (But looks impressive - see above....).
• Solutions are often mis-understood and VERY often over-specified in the wrong (easy) places. (But it really does make the contract team look impressive....!)
• Contracts often measure what's easy to measure - not what's important. (But the reports could (DO) fill a book. 

About Stephen Nuttall

Stephen Nutall is the leader of HP’s Europe, Middle-East and Africa Service Continuity Practice, a group of over 50 professionals which, as well as providing consultancy and delivery support for both HP’s clients and internal stakeholders, is leading the development of Business Continuity and IT Service Continuity strategies for the whole of HP globally. Stephen has been instrumental in developing and championing EDS’ and now HP’s global processes for delivering BCM and in ensuring that the company continues to provide services which enable clients to improve their ability to withstand unexpected disruption to their business.

Stephen has over 20 years’ experience in managing organisational change, service improvement, and business continuity; including project and programme management, service improvement strategies and supplier and contract management. He was formerly the IT business continuity manager for the UK’s Department of Social Security.

BC people have an opportunity to network with like-minded individuals. Numbers are limited to the first 70.  (If you haven't already done so, there is a BANG group on LinkedIn which you are invited to join)

Don't forget, the BCI London Forum is organizing a half day seminar on what makes a good BC manager in London on December 9th. The agenda is here.  You will hear the results of our survey on what makes a good BC manager - and there is still time to take the survey if you haven't already done so.