MHA Consulting
Business Continuity Made Easy

Located in Phoenix, Arizona, MHA Consulting specializes in business continuity planning and Information Technology disaster recovery planning. In a recent interview with Michael Herrera, CEO of MHA Consulting, we talk about how their business continuity and disaster recovery services assist enterprises in responding to and recovery from disruptions of all shapes and sizes. MHA Consulting, with 20 years of experience in this field, offers a full complement of proven continuity consulting services in addition to exclusive business continuity software that effectively tackles the problems of implementing complex continuity programs.

What are the challenges that enterprises face in this industry and how do you address them?

Business continuity management is an integral element that addresses an organization's advance preparedness to address the risk of exposure to internal and external threats. Initially, it was an uphill task for us to craft solutions that would strike a balance between business environments and the ever-changing technology landscape. While developing solutions, we often came across business constraints such as tight budgets, lack of available resources, and a shortage of trained personnel who understand business continuity management and information technology disaster recovery solutions. We developed BCMMetricsTM after years of using the traditional Word templates and Excel spreadsheets. It has four platforms— BIA On Demand (BIAOD), Compliance Confidence (C2), Residual Risk (R2), and BCMOne (BCM1). BIAOD analyzes the relative criticality of business process and technology. C2 measures the client’s alignment with relevant industry standards. The third platform, R2 refers to the risk elements in a program that persist after incorporating risk management measures. Finally, BCM1 allows clients to pull together all their plan information in a single location. It allows clients to view their facilities on a map and upload their critical information and documentation. Our clients have benefitted dramatically by using these tools; besides that, our pricing has been pocket-friendly throughout. Our tools have been designed from the continuity planner's perspective, and they are very user-friendly. We have served the financial, insurance, educational, healthcare, pharmaceutical, and transportation industries over the last 20 years.

We do not limit ourselves to the periphery of business continuity management; we also provide crisis management, disaster recovery, program augmentation, and training services to our clients. Integrating our wide range of services, solutions, and tools equip organizations with the ability to adequately respond to natural, human cause and/or technology interruptions to protect their business interests.

What makes you stand out amongst other key players in the market?

If you carefully look at our client pedigree, you will see an impressive global client base that is a “who is who” of industry-leading companies across a wide spectrum of industries. Moreover, we employ people who know what they are doing, backed by years of experience, and that makes it easier for us to deliver our comprehensive suite of hassle-free solutions. Sometimes our clients need consulting help to build a program from the ground up or just augment a piece of their program, and either way, we can help reduce their level of risk and increase their resiliency. It is entirely up to our clients whether they want to take advantage of our consulting services, leverage our BCMMetricsTM tools, or both simultaneously. I think this is what sets us apart from other consulting firms in play.

Could you elaborate a little on the training programs that you provide?

We conduct a variety of training programs for the crisis management teams, recovery teams, and employees to elevate the capabilities of the client’s business continuity management program. It is a way to heighten awareness about the importance of business continuity management and to help our clients to be prepared for any disruption. Training programs are essential for reinforcing basic knowledge of the plan among all employees. It is mandatory for team leaders to be aware of how and when to activate the program; how to notify, assemble, and manage teams; and how to communicate effectively across organizational boundaries in a stressful situation. Lastly, we provide BCM 101 training for executives. Our training sessions are inclusive of business continuity planning, disaster recovery, crisis management, business impact analysis (BIA), current state assessments (CSA), threat and risk assessment (TRA), recovery strategies, mock exercises, and IT/ disaster recovery (DR) exercises.

How do you envision MHA Consulting’s future?

First, I challenged the MHA team to transform our business continuity management processes, methodologies, and tools so we can stay well ahead of the future in the business and technology landscapes. It is critical that we apply our services and solutions in a manner that will ensure the continuous operations of our clients today and well into the future. Secondly, the time to change how we apply business continuity management is now; not tomorrow. Lastly, over the next few years, we envision expanding our solutions either through acquisition or by adding functionalities to the host of services and solutions that we currently bring to our clients’. Our experienced team ensures that business and technology processes go uninterrupted that meet the soaring demands of our global client base.