Coffee Table Case Study - Speed to Market
A West Coast global XaaS leader was struggling to respond to audit findings and questions in customer due diligence.

The typical legacy consulting approach might be to send in a team to assess the situation, apply their comprehensive analysis, schedule and conduct interviews, turn around the PowerPoint results, then do a design phase, work on socializing the PowerPoint results, then sell a Phase 2 to start to design a planning approach, design templates (which they already have in hand), then roll out a planning process. Phase 3 might be to start to design an exercise program and approach, and send in additional expertise to design and roll out the tools and techniques for exercising the program.

ARSC? Get it done! From zero to 'fast-track analysis complete, recommendations implementing concurrently with streamlined plans drafted for all global departments, and inaugural exercises ready to roll' plus 'ALL audit findings addressed and customer feedback turned positive'... in seven months!
Coffee Table Case Study
An international private bank in New York was required by regulators to have a Disaster Recovery Plan for their books and records computer and a Business Continuity Plan for critical business functions such as account management, transactions (deposits and withdrawals), trading, check processing and settlement. The CIO wanted more than a tick-the-box 'plan on paper'; he wanted an actionable plan. Mr. Mannella worked with Bank management, from account executives to IT operations to wire room managers, to develop a complete program which included:

  • Negotiation and contract with a market-leading vendor for standby alternate computer systems
  • Negotiation and contract with an alternate check processor
  • Backup of the office environment and duplicate Wire Room in their Florida branch office
  • Arrangement with a local hotel for standup of an emergency branch office to serve local private banking customers
  • Contingency plans for every department
Most importantly, he worked with the Bank to conduct tests or exercises of each element of the program. The exercises uncovered weaknesses and gaps between 'paper' and 'real-life' and provided valuable training and confidence-building for employees.

The plan was proven in actual events:

Although the Bank had redundant telecommunications carriers and separate circuits, the circuits were eventually housed in a common conduit in the street. The conduit was severed during street construction in mid-afternoon. The Bank was able to activate their duplicate Wire Room within an hour. They were thus able to make all settlements with the Fed and avoid monetary loss.

The Bank's plan was also activated during the US Northeast blackout of 2003, which thankfully resulted in minimal impact to the Bank.