The Cyber Challenge Facing the Legal Profession By: Don Byrne and Joseph Booth The good news is the bad news. Law firms large and small have access to a stunning array of innovative tools and resources to help reduce costs and increase productivity. Email, social media, web technology, and global video conferencing empower law firms of all sizes. Cloud computing and mobile applications enable even small firms to store and access their information from anywhere in the world. At the…

Stephenson Disaster Management Institute (SDMI) at LSU believes cyber related crimes are a particular threat to the disaster management community.  The disaster management community is comprised of state and local emergency management personnel, homeland security personnel, and first responders. There have already been cases where mission critical communications systems were electronically attacked and disabled for periods of time.  Moreover, critical infrastructure systems rely on the disaster management community to provide vital services in large scale disaster responses. There are two…

Brant Mitchell, Associate Director of the Stephenson Disaster Management Institute (SDMI), recently returned from Australia, where he was invited to speak at the Association of Public Communication Officials (APCO) Australia Convention. Mitchell was asked to speak due to his significant role in Louisiana’s efforts to establish mission critical voice communications after Hurricane Katrina crippled first responder efforts due to the disruption of all voice communication systems in the Greater Metropolitan New Orleans area. Following his presentation at APCO Australia, Mitchell…

A series of free workshops on managing disasters are being offered to small business owners and non-profit leaders in Mandeville, Kenner, Slidell and Belle Chasse this month. Louisiana State University’s Stephenson Disaster Management Institute will show business owners how to prepare before a disaster strikes and how to recover with the goal of reducing lost business operations and revenues, organizers said. The meetings include breakfast and take-home materials. Registration and the complete schedule of workshops can be found at http://centerforbusinessprep.org/news . All…

September marks the beginning of National Preparedness Month. The Stephenson Disaster Management Institute has committed to participate in National Preparedness Month, an event founded after 9/11 to increase preparedness in the U.S. The event is a nationwide, month-long effort hosted by the Ready Campaign and Citizen Corps, encouraging households, businesses and communities to prepare and plan for emergencies. Preparedness is a shared responsibility; it takes a whole community. This year’s National Preparedness Month focuses on turning awareness into action by…

Andy Mitchell is the newest member of the SDMI Board of Experts. Mitchell currently serves as the Director of the Technological Hazards Division in the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). He previously served as the Assistant Administrator for National Training and Education, National Preparedness Directorate (NPD) in FEMA, where he was responsible for the planning and oversight for FEMA’s training programs for state and local officials, as well as FEMA personnel and disaster assistance employees. In this role, he oversaw…

The Stephenson Disaster Management Institute (SDMI) has launched the newly established Center for Business Preparedness. Located on Louisiana State University’s campus, the Center for Business Preparedness was created by SDMI to bridge the gap between academic research and business continuity. The Center for Business Preparedness is dedicated to creating a cultural shift in the value of preparedness by creating a central point of collaboration for research, knowledge sharing, and outreach to address challenges to small businesses while working to enhance…

NEW ORLEANS – The second biennial National Evacuation Conference will be held February 7-9, 2012 in New Orleans, LA at the Hilton Riverside hotel. Dr. Stephen Flynn, Professor of Political Science and the Founding Co-Director of the George J. Kostas Research Institute for Homeland Security at Northeastern University, will headline an impressive lineup of keynote speakers and panelists set to appear as part of the 2012 National Evacuation Conference. The conference is organized by the Stephenson Disaster Management Institute and…

SDMI Associate Director Andres Calderon featured in an interview with largest newspaper in El Salvador SDMI Associate Director Andres Calderon was featured in an interview with La Prensa Grafica, the largest newspaper in El Salvador, to discuss the upcoming local Business Continuity conference. Calderon emphasized how important it is for businesses to plan for disaster and develop a strategy to stay in business. Calderon will speak at the conference as a disaster management specialist. Read More…

The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Task Force on U.S.-Japan Cooperation released a new report and series of recommendations “Partnership for Recovery and a Stronger Future: Standing with Japan after 3-11.” Read More…