Johannesburg, 15 Jul 2002
Business Continuity Solutions at MGX has kicked off its preparations for the United Nations World Summit on Sustainable Growth that will be held in Johannesburg in August and September.
The MGX division has completed an audit of its facilities to ensure it can cater for any potential events that could disrupt the businesses of clients located in areas where the main conference and side events will take place. By the time the conference starts, MGX will be able to invoke business recovery systems and processes for all of its Sandton-based clients at the same time.
Willem Olivier, specialist consultant, Business Continuity Solutions at MGX, says the company is working closely with organisations involved in the conference preparations to assess the risks the conference may pose to its clients and to establish the processes needed to respond to disruptions and disasters as they arise.
Business Continuity Solutions at MGX has established strategic cooperation with the Johannesburg World Summit Company (JOWSCO), the non-profit body set up by government to organise the conference, as well as with Telkom, Eskom, the Sandton Convention Centre, the police and municipal emergency services.
Up to 80 000 people are expected to attend the summit, to be held at the Sandton Convention Centre between 26 August and 4 September, and peripheral events throughout August and September, which will be held across Sandton and Midrand. The Wanderers Club will be host to the Ubuntu Village that will serve as the transport hub and media centre for the summit.
The major risk that companies in the immediate areas of the Sandton Convention Centre and Wanderers face is that their staff may be unable to access their buildings as a result of authorities sealing off roads to cater for protest marches and motorcades, says Olivier. Business Continuity Solutions at MGX has put a particularly strong focus on its workplace recovery capabilities to ensure that all its clients can temporarily relocate staff should this be necessary.
"Most companies in SA have not needed to draw up business continuity and recovery plans that cover catastrophes such as earthquakes, hurricanes or large-scale terrorist attacks. A building burning down is about the biggest risk that we`ve needed to evaluate in the past.
"An event of the size and scale of the world summit creates a host of new risks that need to be managed, a process in which we are actively involved," he adds.
Olivier says the infrastructure investments will provide a base for the company`s organic growth after the conference.
"The area around the Sandton Convention Centre is the country`s economic hub, and our clients include a number of stockbrokers, banks and other financial services institutions," he says.
"A major disruption in the area could have dire consequences not only for our clients, but also for the country`s economy. However, we are ready for any worst-case scenario, and believe that our clients` businesses are insulated against any conceivable risk that the summit brings to bear."
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