Exposure – the Fourth of the Es: Black swan  events are highly improbable but highly consequential events that can only be explained in retrospect. While these outlier events are non-computable and unpredictable by definition, the good news is most negative events can be effectively modeled. Crafting the Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) should be one of the top priorities of the CIO’s team.

They need to ask whether proposed system changes will have negative implication on the organization’s risk profile. A more sophisticated CIO will go a step further and ensure that proposed changes will make the systems more resilient, minimize the organization’s risk profile and ensure compliance with regulations. In the same breath, I would caution against analysis-paralysis and over-focus on the issue du jour, both of which can stagnate organizational progress

Modeling exposure scenarios against catastrophic events, security breaches, internal failures and human errors to prevent operational disruption and ensure disaster recovery is fairly prescriptive, but compliance risk avoidance sometimes doesn’t get the limelight it deserves.

For example, an organization may pick a “right-priced” third-party data center or cloud computing provider, but may not have paused to ask themselves if the service provider’s facility is FISMA compliant. If so, what level of FISMA compliance do they have? As threats intensify and regulations become more complex, robust management of “exposure” will increasing determine the success or failure of the organization.

Ravi Bansal is a project executive and a strategist at IBM Global Business Services. He is a proven business leader with experience proposing, leading and delivering multimillion-dollar business solutions. In addition, Mr. Bansal is a strategist for IBM federal’s cloud computing and smarter government initiatives. He authored 5E framework for targeted IT consolidation and the strategic framework for cloud alliances. He is passionate about cloud computing, cleantech, next generation business strategies and most importantly, helping clients articulate vision for their business.

Mr. Bansal is one of IBM Americas’ top consultants and has also been inducted in IBM’s delivery excellence circle. Over years he has been honored with numerous awards for outstanding business performance and exceptional client service. Outside of direct work responsibilities, he is involved in an eclectic collection of giveback activities. Among other things, he was an officer of the Executive Committee of Metropolitan Washington Mensa, canvasser for IBM employee charitable contributions campaign and a guest speaker at business schools. Mr. Bansal is a graduate of The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania with majors in Finance and Strategy.

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