In this episode of The PreparedEx Podcast, host Rob Burton sits down with Austin Cruz, Associate Director of Crisis Management and Strategic Innovation at Witt O’Brien’s and newly elected leader of the Business Continuity Institute’s AI Special Interest Group. Together, they explore how artificial intelligence is reshaping the world of crisis management, business continuity, and…
Too many organizations treat crisis simulations and tabletop exercises as the finish line, when in reality they’re just the starting point. In this episode, Rob Burton explores why the real value lies in what comes after the exercise: prioritizing findings, assigning ownership, keeping leadership engaged, and measuring improvement. Rob shares common challenges resilience leaders face,…
As organizations begin planning for 2026, one critical area often overlooked—or left until it’s too late—is budgeting for resilience. In this episode, we explore why resilience should be treated as a strategic investment, not just a line item. Drawing from our latest PreparedEx blog, we’ll discuss how early planning and thoughtful proposals provide more than…
In this episode, we share a summer recap and update you on upcoming activities and programs. Hear about recent travels, fall and winter exercise plans, and new resiliency initiatives launching soon. We highlight the upcoming International Crisis Management Conference (ICMC) one-day workshop in Vancouver, scheduled for March 2026, the first West Coast event, featuring expert…
Article written by Dani Andrews Why Voice Conversations Still Matter in High-Stakes Situations In today’s fast-paced, hyper-connected world, businesses have little room for delay when a crisis strikes. As Rob Burton wrote in our post on the Crucial Role of Crisis Communications During Incidents and Crises, crisis communication teams serve as the organization’s frontline, tasked…
When floodwaters rise, so do the stakes for businesses. For corporate crisis managers, a major flood is more than a natural disaster—it’s a real-time stress test of operational resilience and strategic clarity. This blog unpacks how to respond, recover, and reinforce continuity in the wake of flooding events. Phase 1: Immediate Response – Activate Crisis…
In this episode, we sit down with John Iliffe to explore his first-hand experience managing evacuations from conflict and crisis zones including Afghanistan, Myanmar, and South Sudan. With a background in NGO operations and international crisis response, John shares valuable insights and practical lessons for organizations preparing for or executing a country evacuation.
Article written by Ruben Hoornveld Recent shifts in cross-strait dynamics underscore the need for comprehensive evacuation planning in Taiwan. Increased Chinese military posturing, coupled with sophisticated grey-zone tactics, highlights the delicate balance between deterrence and escalation. International companies and organizations operating in or around Taiwan must prepare their staff not only for potential evacuation but…
The Rising Threat of Deepfake Attacks In 2024, Arup, a global engineering consulting firm, fell victim to an elaborate deepfake scam. A finance employee participated in what appeared to be a legitimate video conference with the company’s CFO and other senior leaders. Unbeknownst to them, every participant—except the employee—was a deepfake, generated by cybercriminals using…
Your cyber incident response will fail if you: ✅ Don’t train your team regularly ✅ Don’t stress-test your plan with tabletop exercises ✅ Don’t remediate weaknesses after real incidents or simulations The good news? These failures are entirely preventable. The organizations that train, test, and improve are the ones that survive—and even thrive—when an attack…