This list has been produced to provide the answers to questions you may have and enable you to compare other products with Strategy. The comprehensive list is based upon questions raised by prospective users of our Business Continuity Management products. If you have any to add to the list please let us know!
Hardware/Software
What operating system is required?
Operates under 32 bit Windows (95 onwards) & NT.
What is the minimum hardware requirement?
Pentium 2, 32Mb for 95 and 64Mb for NT.
Do you require any other software to run the application?
Yes. Microsoft Word 97 onwards.
Has the product got its own Database?
Yes. A database specifically designed for the application.
Has the product got its own Word Processor?
No. It links directly with Microsoft Word 97 onwards.
Has the product got its own Report Writer?
Yes. Standard reports are provided with all products. With the 'Professional' versions the Report Writer is included to enable users to design their own reports.
Has the product got its own Document Management System?
Yes. All products have a Document Management System to manage Strategy template plans and questionnaires, and any user Word documents.
Yes. Strategy was designed and developed in partnership with a Microsoft Solution Provider, so it looks and feels like a Microsoft product, which makes it easy to use and familiar to users.
Has the software got Help?
Yes. On-line Help (which can be printed) is provided for all of the functionality of the software. It is Context Sensitive and includes What’s This Help.
No. Not for the software for users who are Windows/NT (inc. Explorer) and Microsoft product (inc. Word) literate. Training can be provided for both Strategy and Microsoft Word.
Yes. The product has multi-level user access control, which also includes Custom Plan Wizards (customised user navigators).
Information Held
Can information be held relating to the organisation as a whole?
Yes. The organisation (business structure) can be totally modelled by location within Strategy.
Can information be held relating to any part of the organisations structure e.g. Division, Section, Department and Function?
Yes. Any part of an organisations structural hierarchy, with no limitations on hierarchy structure or naming conventions.
What information can be held?
Resources (equipment, services etc.), People (staff including skills), Suppliers, Clients, Recovery Phases, Recovery Teams (specialist and business), Tasks (for individual resource recovery and team activities).
Can separate details of recovery resource requirements be held?
Yes. Resource requirements for each business function in each phase of recovery. * In addition Back-up resource requirements can be created, with locations, suppliers and recovery tasks.
Does the information held include activities/tasks for business functions as well as recovery teams?
Yes. General action and conditional tasks (question & answer) for specialist (recovery) and business (business functions) teams. * The same is also included for Back-up Resources requirements.
Database
Is the database relational i.e. you only have to enter information once?
Yes. The database is fully relational.
Does the database have referential integrity?
Yes. Full.
Can database information be copied?
Yes. Using copy & paste.
Can resource information be linked together?
Yes. All resource information has its own hierarchy, which links items together.
Can resource information be shown against any part of the organisation’s structure?
Yes. All resources are linked to the lowest level of the structural hierarchy, so by default is also linked to all parents.
Can resources be identified by Location?
Yes. All resources both existing and back-up can be identified by location.
Can you drill down from views of the database information?
Yes. You can drill down through the hierarchy of information held.
Can the inter-dependencies of the organisations structure be shown?
Yes. Business functions can be linked to others to show their dependencies.
Can field names be modified?
Certain names are fixed for overall descriptions e.g. Business Structure. However Strategy uses lists for database items, which can be changed to what ever the item is called.
Can re-keying be minimised by providing default values for fields with drop down selection of field contents?
Default values are shown in lists, which can be changed or added to. The program has been designed so there is no re-keying (re-entering of information which already exists).
Does the database separate existing resources from those required for recovery?
Yes. Back-up resources are created for recovery.
Are resources shown in summary form with totals?
Yes. There are many views of resources, a number of which include summary form with totals.
Import/Export
Can you import/export Data from/to other applications?
Yes. Using tab delimited files or cut and paste.
Can you import/export WP information from/to other applications?
Yes. Using the Strategy document manager for MS Word files and the functionality of MS Word (either by OLE, import or cut & paste).
Will imported data be reflected in the product’s audit history?
Yes. Where it is imported into the database.
Are ‘exception’ reports provided to tell you about any data import errors?
N/A. It has to be a valid file to complete an import. If it is not, the import will not take place and the user will be told why.
Does the system prevent accidental import duplication?
Yes. The verification process is fully automated.
General
Is the software based on a proven methodology?
Yes. Over 12 years practical experience and 5 years and 3 versions of product development, which includes user feedback and input.
Will the program show me how to complete a business continuity plan (BCP)?
Yes. A planning methodology is also provided for each product (including BCP). This is in the form of a Plan Wizard (navigator), which shows the user how to develop and maintain plans.
Can the product be just used for, or incorporate, recovery, contingency and crisis plans?
Yes. The Strategy product range covers all Business Continuity Management planning, which incorporates recovery, contingency and crisis plans.
Is consultancy support required to complete a BCP using the product?
No. However, in certain areas of BCP and Risk & Impact planning expert advice and guidance may be needed to support in-house expertise. Support may also be used to develop the plan quicker.
Yes. The Strategy Risk & Impacts Planner provides all of the necessary tools and functionality to complete an assessment of risks. Including probability (chance) and severity (impact) of risks to an organisation’s Locations, Business and Resources.
Does the package include Business Impact Assessment?
Yes. The Strategy Risk & Impacts Planner provides all of the necessary tools and functionality to complete a full business impact assessment. Including financial loss etc., and scheduling in order of impact.
Does the package include Risk Reduction?
Yes. The default reports provide all of the necessary information for decisions to be made regarding the assigning, avoiding and assuming of the identified Risks.
Can plans be created to respond to identified threats?
Yes. Within the BCP product or by using the Risk & Impact Planner product, which is specifically designed for Risk (threat) and Impact management.
Can you have recovery teams for each plan?
Yes. The team structure is totally flexible.
Are template or sample plans provided?
Yes. For each product a Sample Plan File (database) is provided to use for tutorial purposes and each user Plan File has default information (to numerous to list) and template teams plans with recovery tasks.
Yes. A template hierarchy structure is provided, which is easily tailored to meet with all types of organisations.
Can information from one plan be easily copied or moved to another?
Yes. The content of each plan is treated as separate objects and shown visually as a part of a document structure hierarchy. You can easily move the objects or copy them.
Can WP only plans or procedure documents be included for parts of the organisation where applicable?
Yes. Strategy has an advanced document manager system. Existing MS Word files can be included in plans or information can be inserted in the Strategy templates using the functionality of MS Word.
Can you choose the font and format of the plan documents?
Yes. The font, format, headers and footers of the template plans documents can be changed and company logos inserted etc.
Can the organisation be easily re-structure i.e. when departments, functions or resources move etc?
Yes. The organisation can easily be re-structured by drag and drop or by cut and paste, with all information (resource requirements) moving with the item.
Are plans automatically updated with current information from the database?
Yes. Strategy uses a sophisticated form of mail merge to update the plans. This automatically inserts into the plans 80% (default templates) of text information, which is maintained within the relational database.
Are plan documents and/or reports version controlled?
Yes. Each page of the plan’s documents has the current (changed by the user) version inserted in the footer. Reports have the date inserted when printed.
Are reports of the information in the database provided?
Yes. Comprehensive sets of standard reports are provided, showing a selection of views of database information. * With ‘Professional’ versions the report writer itself is included to enable users to design their own reports.
Are the actions of users in the database Audited?
Yes. Strategy has an Audit Log, which logs all actions in the database by area, time and date.
