"The other obvious outcome of all this is heightened interest in business continuity ...historically it's something that's every year on the mind of IT directors. And every year it tries to find its way into the budget process. And I would say, in most cases, it never makes it."

The results of September 11 have shown organizations of all kinds that contingency planning is not only important, it must involve top leaders and encompass the entire organization. Preparation and contingency planning for the Y2K date change gave many organizations their first serious experience with the concept of business continuity, because the potential problems associated with the date change were so deeply embedded in their programs, services, and operations. Many cited this experience as invaluable to their ability to respond to the WTC crisis. They had identified and prioritized their business functions, modernized their systems, and established detailed plans to react to problems and resolve them. Nevertheless, the scale and scope of the WTC event was so great that even those who worked in the best-prepared organizations emphasized the need for greater investment in business continuity and disaster recovery plans. In one case, for example, all the people who knew the passwords to activate off-site back-up systems worked in the same office and were killed in the collapse of the Towers. Recommendations included investment in the resiliency and redundancy of key enterprise systems, much more detailed information about the resources and capabilities of suppliers and partners, and attention to routine administrative functions such as purchasing, scheduling, and payroll that are often cumbersome and hinder an otherwise nimble response.

In addition, all organizations need well-maintained and readily accessible alternative channels for communicating with staff. Any contingency plan assumes the availability of people to carry it out. However, during the WTC crisis, all kinds of organizations learned that they lacked sufficient information about the availability, whereabouts, knowledge, and experience of their employees. For some organizations, the first concern was accounting for staff members who were or may have been in the Trade Center, were elsewhere in the City, or were in travel status. For most, this was more difficult than expected due to the lack of up-to-date, detailed contact information for employee locations other than the workplace. Respondents emphasized that such information is an essential part of business continuity planning, and should be maintained off-site in a form that is readily accessible during an emergency.