Deloitte develops crisis management smartphone app

David Swan
Thursday, 04 November 2010 16:01

Your IT - Mobility

Professional services firm Deloitte has developed a smartphone app which could revolutionise how organisations handle their workplace disasters and crises.

The application developed through Deloitte's innovation program is called Bamboo, a unique smartphone app which stores up-to-date continuity management procedures and action-plans in a user friendly and practical way on employees' mobile devices such as a Blackberry or iPhone.

According to Deloitte Risk Services Managing Partner Ron Loborec, this tool will revolutionise how workplace disasters and crises are handled using innovative mobile technology.

'When a crisis occurs, it is essential for staff to have accurate and up-to-date information about what their response should be in regard to crisis and emergency management, business continuity and IT disaster recovery,' said Mr Loborec.

'This tool is about minimising disruptions, improving response times and ensuring staff are safe. In the event of a workplace crisis occurring, people often leave their offices quickly and simply take their personal belongings such as keys, wallets and phones. Little is often known about what to do next and who to call. With Bamboo, staff will now be able to access their individual action plans, regardless of location or mobile network connectivity,' said Mr Loborec.

'Management will now be able to communicate immediately with their staff to inform them of the incident, verify staff safety and location, and communicate necessary actions and contact details- all on an application via their handsets.'
Bamboo provides:

* Convenient access to your organisations business continuity plan, when you need it most
* Access to latest contact details by integrating with an organisation's existing HR and BCM systems
* Push technology to deliver up-to-date information which is  stored locally on employees' handsets
* A one stop-shop to activate  teams and understand individual roles during an incident
* Easy deployment of updated or new incident management procedures and actions through a central server and software
* Auditing and action-tracking for post-incident debriefs
* Easy access to critical information to improve management response times
* Ability to send notification alerts about an incident to all staff.

'One of the best things about Bamboo is that the information is stored directly on a person's handset and updated via push technology. This means staff will be able to access their individual plans regardless of their location. Businesses get back on their feet faster, employees know where their team mates are, and it all works in a common sense way,' concluded Mr Loborec.