Disaster Recovery as a Subset of a Business Continuation Plan

Franklin Lakes resident Taylor Hallman has worked at Prudential Financial based in Newark, New Jersey since 2012. As a business continuation associate, Taylor Hallman assists businesses within the Newark and Franklin Lakes area with devising strategies to remain open in case an event disrupts their businesses.

Disaster recovery plays a huge role in a business continuation plan. While the two are used interchangeably, disaster recovery is a subset of a continuation plan, which has a wider scope.

Disaster recovery refers to the processes a business uses to get back up and running during the event of a disruptive event. These disasters can be anywhere from IT and hardware issues to security breaches. The disaster recovery plan focuses on getting a business operational during the event.

Disaster recovery exists under the business continuation plan, which happens before the event. This continuation plan focuses on business processes, deciding what business functions are vital and benefits versus costs, in addition to disaster discovery.

Ultimately, the key difference between the two is timing. A business continuation plan is drafted long before an event and provides specific instructions for carrying out protocols to ensure the business is operational during the disruption. Alternatively, disaster recovery happens during an event, and it is the immediate response to a catastrophic event, which entails restoring machinery, technology, and other parts of the business are functional.

The Theta Chi Recruitment Process

A business continuation associate based in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, Taylor Hallman works for Prudential Financial. In this position, he handles all of the planning and preparation necessary for minimizing business loss in the event of an incident. Active in his community, Taylor Hallman of Franklin Lakes belongs to the Theta Chi fraternity.

Since 1856, Theta Chi has been developing programs to help college-age men become models of male behavior. Since the fraternity attracts men with values that align with its goals and mission, the organization maintains an ongoing recruitment period. This is different from the one- or two-week formal recruitment period of many fraternities.

When men join Theta Chi, they must complete an eight-week pledging period that teaches them the traditions, history, and ideals of the fraternity. During this time, pledges are given opportunities to meet chapter alumni, current members, and other new members and are encouraged to strive for academic excellence and campus leadership.

Breitling’s Superocean Heritage '57 Supports Frontline Workers

A Prudential Financial associate based in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, Taylor Hallman has a longstanding interest in watches. Active attending horology events in the Franklin Lakes area, Taylor Hallman stays current on the latest trends in timepieces. One of the most noted issues of 2020 has been Breitling’s Superocean Heritage '57 Limited Edition II in support of frontline healthcare workers.

This timely release follows soon after the Superocean Heritage '57 Capsule Collection, which was announced through digital summit, due to the impact of COVID-19. Priced in the $4,500 to $5,000 range, the original Superocean '57 Limited Edition featured a black dial. It was accompanied by a 250-watch Superocean Heritage '57 Limited Edition that nodded to mid 20th century style while offering the “pop vibrance” of brightly colored dials.

Only a month later, the same design was expanded to a 1,000 watch edition, with a portion of proceeds from each sale going to frontline health care workers in countries most impacted by the pandemic. A total of $500,000 has been earmarked to be divided evenly between a half dozen organizations worldwide, including Direct Relief in the United States.

Ancient Methods for Keeping Time

A Franklin Lakes resident, Taylor Hallman’s profession involves assisting clients with preparing business continuation plans in case their businesses are closed because of some event. While at home in Franklin Lakes, Taylor Hallman enjoys studying time and how timepieces are made.

Horology, or the study or time and making clocks, has its origins in ancient Sumeria, where it is believed time tracking began, but the first actual record was in ancient Egypt. Today's digitized timepieces that track time to the nanosecond are a major evolution to ancient timepieces that are great records of history but are very antiquated in their function.

Historians mark 1450 BC as the first time that Egyptians used the Earth’s natural circadian rhythms to denote time. The Egyptians used this method to devise a day that would be divided into two 12-hour intervals.

Egyptians contributed significantly to the field of horology. Egyptians invented water clocks used in the Precinct of Amen-Re, which the Ancient Greeks then later adopted. The Egyptians also created the sundial, also known as shadow clocks. These clocks divided time into two ten-hour intervals and two twilight hours.

The entire world, at some point, devised some method for keeping track of time. Ancient civilizations in China, Japan, and England used candle pieces to denote time. India and Tibet used the hourglass and the time stick. Finally, Mayan civilizations used large stone constructions and pyramids to track the equinox and solstice.

The Pros and Cons of Three Tennis Serves

Based in Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, Taylor Hallman has spent nearly eight years as a business continuation associate with Newark’s Prudential Financial. Taylor Hallman achieved his business continuation certification in 2015. An avid tennis player and former country club instructor, the Franklin Lakes native is an active member of the NYC Tennis League.

The nature of the tennis scoring system means players must hold their serves to win a set. If a player’s serve is not broken, they cannot lose the match. When it comes to diversifying serving strategy, players should review the common types of tennis serves, evaluating both their strengths and deficiencies.

For power players with big serves, the flat serve represents an important weapon. These serves are delivered with as little spin as possible, resulting in a relatively flat trajectory at high speed. Placed correctly, a well struck flat serve is often impossible to return. Of course, the speed and lack of spin makes a flat serve a much riskier prospect than other serves, with serves potentially going long, wide, or into the net.

Slice serves are a safer strategy, while the lack of speed along with considerable spin can still be used to offensive ends: when a right-handed player serves to the deuce court, or a left-handed player serves to the ad court, slice serves swing wide and pull the returner off the court. This opens the entire court for servers to hit a likely winner. Of course, a poorly placed or predictable slice serve is essentially a sitting duck for a competent returner.

Finally, the kick serve represents an effective blend of flat and slice serves. Unlike the flat serve, kick serves make use of large amounts of top spin, giving the serve greater margin for error. That said, these serves maintain more pace than slice serves and can also “jump” high off the court, making it difficult to return the ball. Like the slice serve, however, the kick serve is best utilized as a surprise tactic.

Why Business Impact Analysis is Important

A certified business continuity professional from Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, Taylor Hallman has served as a business continuation associate at Prudential Financial since 2012. One of Taylor Hallman’s responsibilities includes performing business impact analysis (BIA).

A business process, BIA involves identifying business functions and predicting the consequences if one of those functions is disrupted. BIA allows for the collection of the needed information to develop recovery strategies that would minimize potential losses. Some of the most common causes of disruption include failure or delay of suppliers in delivering supplies, delay in delivery of purchased services, utility failures, labor disputes, cyber-attacks, and natural or man-made disasters.

Analyses surrounding BIA includes operational and financial impacts of disruptions in business functions and processes. These impacts include delayed sales or income, lost sales or income, increased expenses, contractual penalties including loss of contractual bonus, regulatory fines, customer dissatisfaction, and delay of new business plans.

BIA is important to businesses because it leads to thorough planning to minimize risks. It also allows businesses to execute due diligence. While risks are inherent to businesses, BIA helps the business to survive in the eventual occurrence of unforeseen disruptions.

Earning CBCP Certification from DRI International

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A Franklin Lakes, New Jersey resident, Taylor Hallman serves as a business continuation associate at Prudential Financial, where he is responsible for ensuring business continuity in an event of a disaster. A graduate of Washington College, Taylor Hallman of Franklin Lakes supplements his hands-on experience and formal education with a DRI International certification in business continuity.

Since 1988, DRI International has provided accreditation, education, and leadership services to professionals working in the business sector. To this end, the organization offers a wide range of certifications to individuals at all levels of their career, including the Certified Business Continuity Professional (CBCP) designation.

The CBCP certification is available to professionals who have at least two years of significant experience in business continuity and disaster recovery areas within their organizations. This experience must include familiarity with risk assessment, crisis communications, and other relevant subject areas related to business continuity management as laid out in the Professional Practices for Business Continuity Management.

As long as professionals meet the initial requirements, they are allowed to sit for the certification’s qualifying exam. To pass, professionals must score at least 75 percent on this exam, thus allowing them to complete an application for professional certification and submit application essays about their responsibilities and accomplishments in the field. At least two references per subject area must also be submitted alongside the application to validate each professional’s experience in the field.

Theta Chi Fraternity's Alumni Mentor Network

As a business continuation associate with Prudential Financial, Taylor Hallman of Franklin Lakes, NJ, assists businesses with advance planning efforts to secure operations in the event of an incident or disaster. Prior to joining the company in 2012, Taylor Hallman earned a bachelor's degree in business management from Washington College, where he was a member of the Theta Chi fraternity.

Established in 1856, Theta Chi is one of the oldest fraternities for male students in North America. Its 159 active chapters have a combined membership base of approximately 8,100 students, who gain valuable friendships and support through their respective chapters. In addition to assistance from fellow members, Theta Chi members are granted the opportunity to receive insight and feedback from past members through the Alumni Mentor Network.

The Alumni Mentor Network is an online platform that pairs volunteer alumni with current members for one-on-one conversations concerning academic and career development opportunities. Mentors can assist mentees with mock interviews, job searches, choosing a major, and writing a thesis, among other things. In addition, prospective mentors can choose to make themselves available for job shadowing or volunteering opportunities.

How Improv Can Boost Your Confidence

The recipient of a bachelor's degree in business management from Washington College, Taylor Hallman of Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, is a business continuation associate with Prudential Financial. Outside of his professional pursuits, Franklin Lakes resident Taylor Hallman enjoys performing stand-up comedy and acting in improv groups. 

Improv, short for improvisation, is a form of comedy that involves groups of people creating spontaneous scenes with no script and allowing the natural progression of conversation and movement to dictate where the scene goes. Because it requires the actors to think and respond appropriately to random situations on the fly, it's a great exercise for building confidence. 

It's not uncommon to be unsure of what to say in different situations, but regularly performing improv can help you become more articulate in a variety of settings. It can also help you expand mundane conversation to include other topics by noticing more hooks and associations. 

Another reason improv can bolster your confidence is due to the lack of control you feel when participating. Even if you have an idea about where a scene might be going, another actor can easily step in and completely change the direction. This translates to everyday life by making you better suited to cope with unexpected conversational shifts as well as new life experiences.

Three Upcoming Stand-up Comedy Shows in New York City

The recipient of a bachelor's degree in business management from Washington College in Maryland, Taylor Hallman of Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, possesses more than six years of experience in his role as a business continuation associate with Prudential Financial. Although he resides in Franklin Lakes, Taylor Hallman regularly travels to New York City to perform and watch stand-up comedy. 

Prominent stand-up comedians performing in New York City in 2019 include:

1. Jerry Seinfeld - Best known for his self-titled NBC sitcom, Seinfeld is one of the best-known comedians in the world. He has been performing stand-up since 1976 and is regarded for his ability to acknowledge and pick apart life's mundanities. He is performing at the Beacon Theatre April 4 and 5.

2. Russell Howard - A 38-year-old native of Bristol, England, Howard is performing at the Gramercy Theatre March 29 and 30. His most recent stand-up special, Recalibrate, was released by Netflix in 2017.

3. Damon Wayans - A 58-year-old comedian and actor who starred in the sitcom My Wife and Kids, Wayans is returning New York City this April for a series of shows at Carolines on Broadway. The New York native's shows run April 4-7.

Top Collectible Watch Sales of 2018

A resident of Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, Taylor Hallman draws upon more than a decade of diverse experience in his role as a business continuation associate for Prudential Financial in Newark. Outside of his professional life, Taylor Hallman pursues a diverse range of hobbies that includes an interest in horology and watch collecting.

Long considered a functional piece of equipment in the modern world, watches have evolved beyond simple timekeeping instruments into symbols of style, sophistication, and personality. As watch collecting has grown in popularity, prices have risen across the globe for some of the most coveted timepieces, and 2018 was another record-breaking year for the collectible watch industry. Here are a few of the most notable watches to go under auction in 2018:

Rolex Daytona Ref. 6265: Known among enthusiasts as “The Unicorn,” this Rolex Daytona model sold for more than $6 million at an auction in Geneva in the spring of 2018. The stratospheric price tag is the second-highest ever for a watch, trailing only a Rolex Daytona once owned by Paul Newman that sold for nearly $18 million at the end of 2017.

Patek Philippe Serpico y Laino Ref. 2499: The most expensive watch sold by Christie’s auction house in 2018, this 18-karat gold and diamond Patek Philippe model features a perpetual calendar with moon phases and sold for more than $3 million in November.

Elvis Presley’s Omega: This diamond-encrusted watch was designed by Tiffany & Co. for Omega and was presented to Elvis as a gift by RCA Records in 1960. The highest price ever realized for an Omega watch, the timepiece was purchased by the Omega company for $1.8 million and installed at the manufacturer’s watch museum in Switzerland.

Mistakes to Avoid When Developing a Business Continuity Plan

A longtime resident of Franklin Lakes, Taylor Hallman serves as a business continuation associate at Prudential Financial in New Jersey. As a certified business continuation professional living in Franklin Lakes, Taylor Hallman is responsible for developing business continuation plans and testing solutions to improve the level of resilience of the business in the event of a disaster.

Business continuity planning, or BCP, is a thorough and time-consuming process. Managers gather a substantial amount of data and engage in extensive deliberations to develop procedures that are both effective and cost-efficient. Each step in the business continuity planning is inter-connected. Therefore, it is important not to make any assumptions or mistakes that could derail the progress of the BCP.

Failing to conduct a business impact analysis (BIA) is a serious oversight and should never happen during a BCP. A business impact analysis is the first step of the process and helps managers identify all areas of the business that are prone to vulnerabilities from internal and external threats.

Another mistake that should be avoided is not getting the support from senior management and employees. Any change, however small, is significant and often requires time, money, and employee participation. It is always helpful to get the approval of the senior management and the full commitment of the employees to carry out their roles and responsibilities. 

Moreover, managers should not skip conducting BCP exercises regularly. BCP exercises test the outcomes of the continuity plan and reveal any idle steps or additional gaps that must be corrected. Any changes to the BCP should be retested before they can be operational.

Essential Elements of a Business Continuity Plan

A resident of Franklin Lakes, Taylor Hallman serves as a business continuation associate at Prudential Financial in Newark, New Jersey. In this role, Taylor Hallman of Franklin Lakes is responsible for identifying processes and dependencies that are essential to the creation of a viable business continuity plan.

A business continuity plan (BCP) is a strategy that analyzes risks facing a company and allocates the right resources to safeguard the business in the event of a disaster. A BCP consists of essential elements, such as a business impact analysis, recovery strategies, and exercises.

The business impact analysis determines the financial and operational impact caused by a disruption of a specific business function. The analysis may review income losses, increased expenses, customer dissatisfaction, and regulatory fines. The business impact analysis also assesses the timing and duration of the disruption, as this information is necessary for resource allocation. 

The next step in a BCP is to develop recovery strategies to avoid or mitigate the risks identified during the business impact analysis. During this stage, managers check whether they have adequate resources in terms of employees, equipment, and technology. Recovery strategies are typically industry-specific, but may include relocation, prioritization, and the outsourcing of tasks. 

The last step in a BCP is to test the recovery strategies to ensure that they will work as planned. Any changes as a result of the BCP exercise must be reflected in the plan.

Tylenol as a Case Study in How to Address Corporate Crisis

Taylor Hallman is a Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, professional who serves as a business continuation associate with Prudential Financial, in which role he sets in place strategies to ensure viable operations during moments of disruption and crisis. Taylor Hallman of Franklin Lakes has a strong understanding of the leadership qualities that have carried companies through strong headwinds and back to sustained profitability. 

One prominent example of this came in 1982, when seven people died after taking Extra Strength Tylenol to which cyanide had been added. With over-the-counter (OTC) drug safety in question, James E. Burke, then CEO of Tylenol parent company Johnson & Johnson, needed to take quick action. A first step involved the announcement that no further OTC capsules would be sold, as capsules were more susceptible to tampering than solid caplets. 

At the same time, 32 million Tylenol bottles were recalled nationwide, with the expense borne by the company whose products had been targeted. All new products shipped were equipped with a newly developed tamper-resistant, triple-seal packaging system geared toward consumer peace of mind. 

Finally, Burke issued an unequivocal apology and admitted failure in public, with the stated wish that his company had taken action earlier, before the crisis unfolded. These actions resulted in recovery for both Johnson & Johnson and the Tylenol brand, and Burke received recognition as one of Fortune magazine’s 10 greatest CEOs.

Beginner Tips for Collecting Watches

A graduate of Washington College, Taylor Hallman serves as a business continuity associate at Prudential Financial in Newark, New Jersey, and as an active member of the nearby Franklin Lakes community. During his free time, Taylor Hallman pursues a diverse range of hobbies that includes collecting watches. 

Watch collecting has enjoyed a recent surge in popularity, with dedicated forums, websites, and even auction houses popping up to serve beginning and seasoned watch collectors alike. However, getting started in this hobby can be daunting. Here are three tips for starting a watch collection:

Narrow the field: One of the best ways to get started with a watch collection is to focus on one aspect of the watch. For example, some collectors seek out watches made of a specific material, such as titanium, while others focus their collections on pieces made by a specific manufacturer. There is no wrong way to go about it - what matters is that the collection reflects your interest.

Define vintage: The word “vintage” has different meanings depending on the context. A “vintage” wine means something very different than a “vintage” stamp, for example. In watch collecting, vintage typically means any watch produced more than 20 or 25 years ago. Many vintage watches are sought by collectors as investments because they typically appreciate in value.

Have a storage plan: If you’re not planning to wear your watches every day, be sure to store them properly. Boxes specifically designed for storing watches are readily available, but a cigar humidor can also provide the right humidity and temperature for safe storage. Some experts also recommend storing high-end watches in a home safe or at your local bank. In any case, be sure to insure your collection in case of disaster or theft.

Racket Sports at the Tuxedo Club

A resident of Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, Taylor Hallman serves as a business continuity associate with Prudential Financial in Newark. Outside of his professional life, Franklin Lakes resident Taylor Hallman stands out as a former award-winning tennis player and instructor who holds membership in the Tuxedo Club.

Founded in 1886, the venerable Tuxedo Club in Tuxedo Park, New York, began its existence as a fishing and hunting club before adding a golf course a few years later. Since that time, the club has emerged as one of the premier golf and racket clubs in the United States and today offers a world-class golf course, sailing and boating, and a range of dining facilities available for private events. The club also stands out for its racket sports.

The only club in the world that offers five racket sports, the Tuxedo Club maintains one of only 11 court tennis facilities and one of only 8 rackets courts in the United States. In addition to these specialty offerings, the club maintains lawn tennis courts, paddle tennis courts, and squash courts. The club’s proud racket sport history includes hosting the first U.S. Open Squash Championship in 1901. For more than a century, the club has held the annual Gold Racquets Tournament, one of the most prestigious court tennis tournaments in the world.