In today’s knowledge driven economy, both government and private businesses depend largely on secure ICT infrastructure to function efficiently. With this apparent need, business continuity management has since taken centre stage as a focal aspect of good governance.
The global annual HR4ICT conference, organised by the Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation is set to open on March 21, 2011, with Nairobi, Kenya the chosen destination. This year’s event will serve up an agenda of business continuity management within the global ICT industry. With the theme of “ Business Continuity Planning: Strategic and Organisational Imperatives in a Global Economy”, the focus will be on the many challenges that are now faced in today’s business environment; particularly by major communications user groups in the development and implementation of effective and successful business continuity programs. Over twenty-four plenary and parallel sessions will address:
•    Corporate strategies for Business Continuity Planning(BCP) •    Communication networks security•    Resilient information systems•    Operational continuity•    Revenue protection•    Implications for Human Resources.The event will also provide a collaborative hub of ICT professionals from around the world, combined with an array of knowledgeable and experienced industry speakers.Commenting on the topic, Mr Sayed Dastager, HR Executive for South Africa Telkom who is also presenting at the conference highlights the importance of a strategic HR approach to BCP:“The ability of an organization to recover from a major crisis including the current economic climate, can be linked to the level of planning and readiness on the execution of their Business Continuity strategies throughout the operations. Most business continuity strategies have a human capital (HC) impact. Therefore, it is crucial that Human Resources are part of the process from the beginning, so that all risks are identified and effective strategies can be put in place to minimise any negative impact.”