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Canadian companies unprepared for disaster
Toronto—A recent survey of Canadian executives and employees shows organizations are largely unprepared for dealing with disasters such as Avian flu, a blackout or hackers.
The study was conducted last month by Leger Marketing, the Canadian representative of Gallup International Assoc. It was commissioned by Fusepoint Managed Services (Toronto), a provider of IT services.
According to the survey—which involved 520 senior executives and 1,000 employees—75 per cent of business executives in Canada feel personally responsible for their company’s disaster preparedness, but 72 per cent have no continuity plans in place.
"This should be a wake-up call for all boards of directors across the country to empower their company’s top executives with the resources required to ensure their business is protected from disaster," said George Kerns, president and CEO of Fusepoint.
The report included additional findings:
• One in five Canadians (21 per cent) are not confident their company has taken the necessary steps to guarantee their safety at work;
• More than one-third of executives fear losing their job for failing to protect their business in a disaster;
• The majority (61 per cent) of executives say it's important for their employees to have 24/7 access to the company network.
• Forty-six per cent of executives feel a man-made IT disaster such as a virus or worm is the biggest current threat. A pandemic outbreak is a concern for 28 per cent.
• The majority of Canadians (59 per cent) said they wouldn't go to work if one of their colleagues came down with avian flu.
• British Columbians are more concerned about natural disasters such as tornados and floods (41 per cent). Only 10 per cent see terrorist attacks as a threat.
• Quebecers are more worried about fire and burglary (63 per cent) than a pandemic (29 per cent); while Ontarians fear blackouts most (55 per cent).
In terms of the rate of disasters, nearly half of all Canadian businesses (44 per cent) have been affected by a power outage, IT attack or terrorist threat, according to Fusepoint.
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