Unforseen Circumstances: Strategies and Technologies for Protecting Your Business and Your People

by Alexis D. Gutzman

Nothing in American business can be taken for granted. Directly or indirectly, world events affect companies of every shape and size, in every industry, more than ever before. Concerns that once... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0814471587
• ISBN13: 9780814471586
• Release Date: January 2002
• Publisher: AMACOM/American Management Association
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 1.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 6.2" x 9.3"
• Age Range: 17 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 12 and higher

Customer Reviews

Good Reality Check

After the unforeseen events of September 11, 2001, we expected to see a flurry of books about how to protect yourself, your company, your assets, and your future. Security issues were already high on corporate and personal agendas; 9/11 just kicked them higher with a jolt. Security would now be considerably more pro-active than merely routinely defensive.This book, one of the first to be rushed to the bookstores, was written by a woman with expertise on the internet-software, e-commerce, information management. Her research for this book, probably rapid, centered on those areas of familiarity, so the content is technologically heavy. This focus is understandable, acceptable, and worthwhile-and is where the reader will find the greatest value. From the preface, "This book does more than identify the potential vulnerabilities" It givrs you specific strategies and technologies to lock down and free up valuable resources. Each chapter takes you through a problem that has arisen in this new, less secure world. It then suggests specific strategies and technologies based on interviews with the nation's leading experts . . . each chapter ends with a resource guide." The author promises to continue expanding her resource guide at her website. There's nothing there yet, but it's a nice extra if it happens.Part I addresses how to keep employees safe, acknowledging that safe employees are more productive than those who continually look over their shoulders. The author suggests that we overcome travel fears with virtual meetings and training, sell through the internet, and use collaborative project management software to keep people connected. Is this new? No, but the emphasis on the applications is-reactively to 9/11. If we perceived the risk to be high and continuous, these technologies would get more use. It may be, until the economy picks up, that these alternatives will be employed as cost-savers.Part 2 is entitled "What if Your Employees and Customers Are Afraid to Open the Mail?, an obvious response to the Anthrax scare. Gutzman instructs her readers about electronic direct and transactional mail, eBilling and ePayments systems. A number of companies have been sticking their toes into the water with these techniques; Gutzman uses 9/11 as an impetus to suggest we might to more in these areas-for security reasons. Part 3 looks at how to protect your place of business and your data. For a lot of business operators, there are some intriguing ideas here. You'll learn about biometrics technology, network security, encryption, system security. There's a chapter on using ASPs and MSPs to decrease dependence on physical plant. Understanding that this book is written by an author with recognized expertise in these issues, expect to gain some interesting insights.The book closes with an almost obligatory chapter on succession planning. Yes, we all know that succession planning is important, but it seems force-fit into this book. I'd recommend this book if you wan

About time! A book for today's world!!

Alexis Gutzman has finally found a common sense approach and solutions to common (and not so common) problems.These challenges face each and every one of us as business owners and for any business entity.It makes you stop and think.... (and then think again.)This is a manual for any corporate entity focused on many different levels of security forethought!A Must Have!

Practical Strategies for Safeguarding Business

While this book does include a fascinating chapter about biometrics, most of this book is about practical steps businesses can take to keep their employees safe and keep their businesses running. What can companies do to offset the fact that their prospects aren't attending conferences as much? The chapter on Webcasting is the best collection of what you need to know to get started that I've seen anywhere. For a change, there's actually enough information to get started without any of it being biased toward any particular vendor. How about cutting back on direct mail so that your customers don't worry about what's in the mail? The chapter on email marketing is a great primer that explains all the industry vocabulary and why you probably don't want to rent a commercial list (the way you would with direct mail). In short, I don't think this book is for a systems administrator; it's for anyone in business who has to make decisions about how things get done. Another nice feature of the book is that it's a fast read, which I always appreciate when I'm reading business books.

Pragmatic, thoughtful analysis of business security issues.

I work across the street from the Sears Tower. Until Sept. 11th I never gave much thought to personal or business security while at work. I am not a "tech person" nor do I use computers for much more than the basics. But the title of this book was intruiging and given the location of my office and the information intensive nature of my job, I read Gutzman's book.She has laid out the issues in a readable, practical manner with plenty of examples and excellent resources at the end of each chapter. No doubt some of the material was over my head and perhaps more suitable for a corporate security or HR person, but is is presented in a logical format and thoroughly covers the subject.Over the past nine months I have heard much talk about increased security, and have seen security measures tighten up dramatically in my building and throughout downtown Chicago. Gutzman puts the entire enterprise into focus and perspective with this book.I bought a copy for the office administrator. Well worth 200 pages of your time.

Planning Ahead with Realistic Strategies and Technologies

This is probably the best book on business security I've ever read. It's not a book on network security, although that's in there. Gutzman focuses on the three things that are most in jeopardy for businesses in the new "red alert" era we've entered: people, data, and the pipes that connect them.She covers everything from reducing travel (duh, yes, but then she gives technologies to help accomplish the same goals) to reloating facilities, from server-level virus protection (duh, yes, after she points out how absurd desktop virus protection IS, and how it really only benefits the vendors) to expiring email, and email that can't be printed or forwarded by the recipient unless you give them permission ahead of time. How many times would *that* have saved you embarassment (memos leaked to the press) or competitive security (that employee who just left for your competitor)? Gutzman also explains biometrics in a useful way with specific examples of which type of biometric would work there. Despite the fact that Gutzman comes from IT, the book starts with the business side of the argument.In short, this book is a fast read that covers a lot of topics you're not likely to find all in one place. Best of all, every chapter has resources at the end to give you vendors, Web sites, and newsletters where you can go to learn more.