Extreme Emergencies - by Anthea Sanyasi, ITDG Publishing, Warwickshire, United Kingdom, 2005, 222 pages, paper, £24.95/$44.95, indexed.
REVIEWED BY: Mayer Nudell, CSC, is an independent consultant on crisis management, contingency planning, and related issues.
The post-9/11 world is pre-occupied with the possibility of a chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear explosion staged by terrorists, and large amounts of money and effort are being put into preparing to deal with the disaster that would result. Such an extreme man-made disaster incident would require a different type of effort from first responders, government agencies, and relief organizations. In fact, even developed countries might require help from allies or international relief agencies. Against this background, the British medical relief agency Merlin led a research and planning effort commissioned by a group of international humanitarian organizations that put together Extreme Emergencies: Humanitarian Assistance to Civilian Populations following Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and Explosive Incidents-A Sourcebook.
Extreme Emergencies is the first comprehensive guide to address this potential situation and it draws on the expertise of many experts in what is now becoming called the CBRNE (chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and explosive) field. It deals with emergency planning, management, and safety issues-providing guidance on the range of hazards, their characteristics, clinical effects, and treatments and offering detailed resource information on equipment, training issues, and support organizations.
Although focused on the needs of international relief organizations operating in less-developed countries, Extreme Emergencies belongs on the reading list of security professionals of all kinds, regardless of their organizations. It provides essential information on how to plan and prepare for CBRNE incidents and is an invaluable resource.
If you are responsible for security, yet take a hands-off approach to IT security assessments, you’re entrusting a big piece of your job to someone else. Now, with the help of two plain-speaking security professionals, you can learn what goes on behind the scenes of an IT security assessment, allowing you to take a bigger role in the process. "Know Cyber Risk" by Managing Your IT Security is a new book by James P. Litchko and Al Payne, CISSP, containing 160 pages. With the help of this book, even the most technophobic manager can understand how, for example, to calculate a quantitative annual loss estimate for IT systems. Each component of this equation is explained in easy-to-understand language and with clear examples. The quantitative type of assessment is also compared with qualitative risk assessment. The book is certainly for beginners only - IT pros are likely to find the points simplistic - but security professionals who are new to IT security terminology and practices will find the book helpful and enlightening. It’s cost of $14.95.
