February 2023
by Bob Arnold, Publisher, Disaster Recovery Journal
[originally published on drj.com; written by Colin Garrison based on an interview with Bob Arnold]
As DRJ publishes its first issue of 2023, our first order of business has to be thanking Southwest Airlines.
In my view, everyone who is committed to making industry more resilient owes Southwest a debt of gratitude.
The airline’s holiday meltdown at the end of last year—during which it had to cancel more than 16,000 flights affecting some two million passengers—provided an object lesson in the criticality of operational resilience. That lesson might have had a greater educational impact than all the articles and conference presentations given on the subject, ever.
Southwest’s difficulties was the inspiration for a funny “Saturday Night Live” commercial. But there was nothing funny about the estimated $1 billion the meltdown is expected to cost the airline in revenue lost to canceled flights and passenger refunds.
Operational resilience—the ability of an organization to maintain a certain minimal level of functionality no matter what disruptions occur—has become a must-have for serious companies in every industry.
Among the key drivers for this need are the fact that threats are multiplying, impacts are increasing, and the 24/7 expectations for business are growing.
All of these facts were at top-of-mind as we were putting together the current issue of Disaster Recovery Journal.
In it, you will find an article examining the Southwest fiasco from a resilience perspective by Matt Doernhoeffer, a technical resilience professional with nearly 20 years’ experience with multiple federal agencies, as well as Deloitte, USAA, and United Airlines.
Also in the issue is a piece outlining how organizations can transition from a business continuity approach to an operational resilience approach, written by Hakan Kantas, an IT
director whose 30-plus-year career has focused on IT disaster recovery methodologies and operational resilience, among other areas.
The issue also includes an article by Amy DeMartine of Forrester Research summing up the findings of the latest DRJ/Forrester survey on business continuity and disaster recovery trends. The survey notes, among other trends, an encouraging rise post-COVID in the number of companies performing BIAs compared to previous years. Unfortunately, this is coupled with a persistent tendency for those BIAs to be superficial and imprecise, according to the survey results.
Another item in the issue—I’ve saved it for last not because it is the least important, but because it just might be the most important—is an explanation of DRJ’s commitment to fostering a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Accompanying this explanation is a request to our readers for help in turning this commitment into action.
Specifically, we would like to hear from people who are interested in serving on a board that will help us in developing measures we can take to promote diversity and inclusion across our enterprises, including our podcast, advisory board, newspaper, web site, social media efforts, and business continuity conferences. Given DRJ’s central role in the industry, board members might even have a chance to be a catalyst for positive change in the profession over all.
There’s a lot more in the issue that is well worth reading and knowing. And for those of you who are interested in something that is worth doing, look no farther than DRJ’s Spring 2023 Conference at the Orlando World Center Marriott in Florida. Our theme this spring is “Solutions for a Resilient Tomorrow.” The dates are March 12–15, and attendees who register by Feb. 13, 2023, will receive a discount of $100 on the conference fee.
As usual we’ll be bringing together the industry’s best minds to tackle its hottest topics.
Nothing beats the immersive learning environment, networking opportunities, and overall benefits of the live, in-person conference experience.
I hope to see you there.