Given the growing focus on managing risk, enterprises cannot claim to be unaware of their business interruption risks - natural and man-made. In recent research, Gartner listed the three main drivers for the growth in, and maturity of, BCM programs that we see in 2008 and beyond: 1) 24/7 business delivery model, 2) increased operational risks, and 3) globalization of business operations.

The Gartner Business Continuity Management Summit will give you the information you need to immediately improve operational resiliency, and guidance on the strategic and tactical components needed to build recovery, continuity, and continuous availability within the enterprise.

As current market and overall financial uncertainty grips the world the potential impact on BCM looms large. Acquisitions and capital purchases are frozen in many companies, and business initiatives that once seemed all important, are now on permanent hold. The current cost-conscious environment in which we live will surely impact the ability to test and improve a company's (and partner's) BCM plan, and as such, compromise their ability to respond to a crisis. It's more important than ever to make the right technology and business decisions.

If you've asked yourself these questions, then you know how important a solid BCM program is to your enterprise. The content in this year's summit will help you with the answers:

• How do I ensure that my BCM program addresses the right risks for my organization?
• How do I make the right technology choices for business recovery?
• Which vendor is the best choice for my specific situation?
• Do I outsource recovery or do it myself?
• How do I change my BCM program to reflect and support a global organization?
• What are the steps, methodologies, tests, etc., that I should use to recover critical business operations correctly, consistently and with the cooperation of all the various parts of the organization?

11 Solid Takeaways that will Help You

• Justify IT investments to achieve 100% availability
• Achieve time and cost savings through DR and QA test organization, process and infrastructure consolidation
• Add value to business continuity planning with your enterprise architecture
• Develop a strategy and architecture to meet 24/7 availability and recovery requirements
• Develop Best Practices for your data center strategy and architecture
• Conduct a BCM risk assessment and itemize the deliverables
• Develop sources and scoring measures used for managing business reputation
• Make the right vendor/technology purchase decisions
• Retool a BCM program to support a global organization
• Know how virtualization can aid DR efforts and save you $$$
• Enhance your professional value during volatile times and you'll become a critical asset in any organization

Plus much more...

Special Mock Disaster Keynote Workshop

You'll have an opportunity to participate in an exciting two-hour exercise that will take you through a simulated disaster - the next best thing to being there. All conference participants will take part in this crisis management workshop, and each participant will play a role in helping a fictitious company respond to the disaster. This is a highly interactive learning and practice session, and you will be part of a team that is challenged to make quick, viable decisions as senior managers. Oh - You'll have fun too!

What's New This Year

• Crisis Management
• Military recovery operations for the civil infrastructure
• State government disaster recovery
• Clouding computing and disaster recovery
• Building resiliency into your enterprise architecture efforts
• Teleworking and BCM
• Legal issues in BCM
• Reputation and BCM