Folly or force majeure, you cannot ignore it

Two poignant images from the last week’s storms particularly stick in my mind.

That of a man on the sheer faced rocks, holding and his son and cowering against the mighty storms off of Portland Bill. A moment of bad judgement nearly led to personal tragedy and disaster for his family. The other image is from Dawlish, where “God’s Wonderful Railway” clung to the land and sea-wall since 1847. Attack from the mighty Atlantic force has left tracks perilously suspended in mid-air and severed this vital communications artery between London and Penzance.

No matter how resilient we think we may be, there will always be risks we had not thought possible. A moment of ill-considered action by an employee may easily lead to catastrophe or disruption. Our business communications links and data are constantly under attack from external forces, where our firewall must be strong. As with Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s masterpiece of the GWR, we must be able to rebuild our businesses quickly and effectively when disaster strikes. The delay and cost of repair is often great, compared to the cost of building resilience beforehand and being prepared. Regular training of employees can help reduce the risk of loss to a business. Identification of our vulnerabilities allows us to either take protective measures or to risk accept and insure against sudden loss.