The Attivo Blog

Disaster is a word that nobody likes.  Whether it is a flood, hurricane, tornado, oil spill, a 15 year old girl getting a pimple, or a security threat to an IT infrastructure it poses a threat to life, health, property, money or a bad week at the local high school. One of the toughest aspects regarding a disaster is the management and recovery of it after the fact.  Imagine the recovery and management operation that BP Oil must undergo in the years to come after its spill in the Gulf Coast. This is why it is vital for a company to prepare for a man-made or natural disaster to its business infrastructure.  For 15 year old Jenny getting a pimple on Monday (I know, I know… but trust me in Jenny’s mind this is a disaster) the management and recovery of the problem is as simple as a bottle of Proactive and time.  For a company or corporation, a disaster to its IT infrastructure can result in a massive loss in time, money and possibly closure of the business. For any company there are three control measures to manage safety. Businesses can prevent an event from occurring, detect or discover unwanted events, and have controls in place to correct or restore the system after the disaster. There are several strategies for a business to take in order to secure its IT infrastructure.  A simple example would be to have backups of data transferred to tapes and sent off-site at regular intervals.  This way, if the data was damaged on-site the info would be easily recovered.  Here at The Attivo Group we offer Customer web portals where a customer’s information is secure and safe from any disaster.  Being prepared for any disaster is the smart way to go.  Obviously not all disasters are equal in scale but if companies and people take calculated measures to prepare for them the recovery and rebuilding of the damage caused will be quicker and a lot more efficient.

Who doesn’t like a good referral?!  Whether you are being referred to a good restaurant, movie, doctor, dentist, or musical act, there is nothing better than getting advice from a friend or family member on something you are going to purchase or spend money on. Let me share a personal story on getting a type of referral.  I generally don’t go to the movie theatre nor do I consider myself a “sci-fi” genre type of guy.  So that being said, when the movie “Avatar” was released it didn’t peak my interest all that much.  In fact, I didn’t plan to see it at all!  That was until my brother called me and said he saw “Avatar” in IMAX 3D and thought the special effects were “like nothing he had ever seen before.”  He also explained the cost of the movie was a little more than regular admission but said it was well worth it. Now here is the payoff of a referral.  Because of this good review I am standing in line, at a movie theatre, by myself (how sad is that!) for a sci-fi film and paying more than I normally would!  All things I would never have done unless I was told the payoff was worth it.  Not a bad deal for James Cameron.  I have to note that the special effects were amazing and it was worth the time and money spent! Referrals can be just as good for small businesses.  When a business gets a referral they are extremely powerful because they have already been pre-sold on your business, products and services.  Along with this, referrals cost little or no money to obtain.  The prospects or customers generally have more trust in your company and are often ready to buy from you without as much work. So as you can see, referrals are your friend!  Whether you are a billion dollar production company getting a referral for a movie or a small business getting a referral for a new customer, just enjoy it and thank the good old referral gods!