Major Economic Hubs Use CEAS to Promote Business & Community Disaster Recovery

FULTON, N.Y., Sept. 24, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- An issue that rises to the surface after nearly every major disaster is that of "post event access." How do we overcome the obstacles of getting critical, private sector personnel into an area that has been evacuated and cordoned off to the public? How can needed supplies and service providers get into the affected area? How can it be done in an orderly, safe, secure, and rapid way?

Business continuity managers often overlook the reentry process in their planning efforts. Getting people into an affected area as quickly as possible is essential to a seamless recovery process.

Planning for only inside the workplace leaves businesses shortchanged when they realize that moving personnel in areas controlled and restricted by government authority can significantly change the outcome of their efforts. Cities and states along the Northeast coast have realized that planning reentry by using CEAS is complementary to business and community recovery.

In a joint public-private sector study conducted in the Northeast known as the "Joint Loss Reduction Partnership," the number one obstacle to business recovery was "access to the workplace." Why do businesses need access? The study's results concluded that business recovery is closely linked to overall community recovery because its businesses supply essential lifeline goods and services that promote community recovery. By preventing business recovery, our communities are inadvertently injured.

The Northeastern US is the nation's most densely populated economic center. It houses countless national critical infrastructure industries in numerous cities and states. Its population and business density make it a target for terrorism and vulnerable to natural disasters and other emergencies that can grind business to a halt. The US Department of Homeland Security advances a national policy "to strengthen and maintain a secure, functioning, and resilient critical infrastructure." In other words, our nation can't afford a failure of any critical infrastructure, the majority of which is privately owned. It is on this premise that the 501(c) nonprofit Business Network of Emergency Resources (BNET) created the Corporate Emergency Access System (CEAS) reentry program, which, prior to an actual event, validates critical business employees for access.

The government can ensure the recovery of critical business sectors by helping businesses provide the most basic path to recovery—access to the workplace. Emergency managers in the Northeast region of the country have done extensive planning and use CEAS to make sure their jurisdictions are as resilient as possible. Due to population densities, communications, planning, and processes are necessary to ensure success.

The CEAS credentialing program is available to local and state governments at no cost. Participating private sector users bear the cost of the program through a reasonable annual subscription. To support CEAS, government officials need to define mechanics suitable to their jurisdictions to execute the recovery plan. BNET facilitates the program by providing a software interface for end users to manage and print credentials. In addition, a mobile app is available for local authorities to authenticate a CEAS credential.

CEAS credentials work during power outages, technology outages, and communications outages. The cards are electronically or visually read and have security features, making them highly resistant to duplication.

CEAS is currently available to any business within a CEAS jurisdiction located in several states and multiple cities in the Northeastern US.

For more information about Corporate Emergency Access System (CEAS) or Business Network of Emergency Service, Inc. (BNET) contact CEAS Customer Support at 888-353-2638 or use our contact form at https://www.ceas.com/bnet/contact-us/.

CEAS – America's Largest Provider of Crisis Access and Reentry Solutions.

Boilerplate:
Since 1999, BNET has pioneered the way to providing emergency access credentialing through its development of the Corporate Emergency Access System ("CEAS"). A new program that facilitates rapid business recovery, local economic stability, and infrastructure resiliency, CEAS provides a pre-event credentialing system for critical employee re-entry in partnership with local governments.

Most large corporations and smaller, proactive businesses have disaster recovery and emergency response plans in place. However, even the most sophisticated corporate planners can do little during a disaster event or local emergency when public safety officials deny access to their work sites. BNET was established to help create the awareness and partnerships necessary to overcome such obstacles and promote the importance of business continuity to the economic recovery of a region.

Contact:
Peter Picarillo, Executive Director
Business Network of Emergency Resources, Inc
(888) 353-2638 x 1002
[email protected]
CEAS.com
BNETinc.org

SOURCE Corporate Emergency Access System