Swine Flu and You, Microsoft Partners
It's entirely possible that swine flu, H1N1, or whatever you want to call the next wave of sure death to hit the planet, is way overhyped. After all, this isn't the first time something called swine flu has hit the U.S.
As some dork on the Internet observed back in June, there was an outbreak of swine flu in the '70s, and quite an attention-grabbing one at that. And yet, those of us who were around back then and are still around now, which includes most of us, managed to survive. (And, yes, your editor just linked to his own personal blog. So, sue us. No, wait -- don't. That was just a joke. Seriously, please don't sue us.)
Anyway, regardless of whether the coming round of swine flu ends up being a living disaster movie or just a really big hassle, businesses are worried about it. And yet they're not prepared for it. This is where you, Microsoft partners, can step in. Noted author Joanna L. Krotz writes for RCPmag.com that companies expect swine flu to disrupt their operations, but they really don't know what to do about the coming disruption.
Classic disaster recovery tactics just don't work for something like a pandemic, which -- keep in mind -- could keep employees away from work and taking care of sick relatives even if the employees themselves don't get sick. There's not a lot of precedent for what companies and IT departments can do to prepare for a potentially devastating illness.
But there are things that partners can do to help them, primarily giving them good advice and implementing IT and other work policies that will help mitigate the potential effects of a potential pandemic. There's a way to put an effective flu defense in place. But if you want to know how to implement it, you'll just have to read Krotz's excellent story, which we'll link again here. Stay healthy, everybody.
How worried are you about the impact of Swine Flu on your business? Reach out at [email protected].
Posted by Lee Pender on October 15, 2009