Organization Size 37 employees
Organization Profile Headquartered at Microsoft‘s Redmond, Washington, campus, Microsoft Global Security manages all aspects of physical security at every Microsoft facility worldwide.
Business Situation On March 11, 2011, a magnitude 8.9 earthquake off the northern coast of Japan triggered a massive tsunami and damaged the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear facility.
Microsoft personnel in the area faced serious risk of harm along with all Japanese people touched by the disaster.
Response
Microsoft GSOC Asia launched local, regional, and enterprise Incident Management Teams to manage communications, coordinate security assistance, and minimize risk to personnel traveling to and within the affected area.
Outcome
Close collaboration between the Japan IMT and the GSOC minimized harm to Microsoft people and assets. All person- nel were safely accounted for, and campus security was maintained throughout the crisis. Microsoft and partner technologies facilitated the vital teamwork.
Microsoft manages crisis in Japan using internal and partner technologies and Enterprise Incident Management processes
In response to the massive March 2011 Japanese earthquake and its devastating aftermath, Microsoft’s Global Security Operation Center (GSOC) Asia activated local, regional, and enterprise Incident Management Teams (IMTs). Working closely with the GSOC, the Japan IMT maintained constant communication with its personnel and provided security advice for all affected staff and travelers. Microsoft employees were kept safe and informed, and our assets were protected.
Situation
On March 11, 2011, a magnitude 8.9 earthquake rocked the northeast coast of the main Japanese island of Honshu, resulting in a massive tsunami that caused considerable death and destruction throughout Japan, including the crippling of its nuclear power stations, particularly the Fukushima Daiichi facility. The resulting damage and radiation hazard caused hundreds of thousands of survivors to flee their homes. Food, water, shelter, medicine, and fuel ran short. Microsoft’s presence in Japan includes 3,500 employees across 610,000 square feet of office space in 11 buildings. Its Sendai location is 110 kilometers from the Fukushima nuclear facility.
Response
GSOC Asia (located in India) activated the Japan Incident Management Team immediately after the quake to manage the disaster’s local effects and limit the overall impact on Microsoft. The IMT started processes for
managing communications,
locating travelers, and
providing security services,
all to mitigate risk to assets and help personnel on the ground stay safe and informed.
Global
Security Japan 2011
Earthquake.
Tsunami.
Response.
Microsoft Office System
Customer Solution
Case Study
Software and Services
Microsoft Office InfoPath 2010
Microsoft Office SharePoint Server 2010
Microsoft SQL Server 2008
Bing Maps
Microsoft Lync 2010
IDV Solutions Visual Fusion
ConTgo Mobile Travel Assistant
Vertical Industries IT Services, Physical Security Country/Region
Japan
Communication
The various IMTs (local, regional, and enterprise) used the GSOC to provide background information, daily situation briefings, and security advisories. The teams used several tools to reach and collaborate with key decision makers and staff, regardless of their location and network access:
Visual Fusion, a partner mapping tool from IDV Solutions, was used to check the proximity of Microsoft offices to the earthquake and tsunami disaster zones.
Custom maps were disseminated with situation updates.
InfoPath allowed the storage of all relevant documents, regardless of format, in a centrally accessible portal.
Lync connected IMT members in live meetings through laptops. It was the preferred communication tool, as it brought together voice, video, and documents and was not affected by landline disruptions.
AtHoc, a partner messaging tool, used SMS (texting) to alert IMT members and senior leadership about upcoming meetings, situation changes, and advisories.
Mike Howard, Microsoft’s Chief Security Officer, notes:
With our communication software tools, our IMT members around the world could work together and share maps and documents, without being in the same room or time zone. Areas in crisis may lose their landline phone service, and mobile phone systems may collapse or become overloaded, but as long as the Internet is available, we can still communicate. Lync provides a rich presence, displaying photos of participants and showing who is currently available.
Mike Foynes, Senior Director of Opera- tions, Microsoft Global Security, adds:
Visual Fusion helps you literally envision the situation in a complex
blue dots = Microsoft facilities
disaster environment so you can plan and carry out response and recovery. With Lync, I would hold 10 to 15 conference calls at once, jumping from one to another. By clicking on a team member’s name, I could bring the person into a conversation immediately, forming and reforming discussion groups as needed. Japan’s mass
communication system was overwhelmed, but we could still reach employees through AtHoc.
With our array of tools, we were able to move from assessment to action quickly.
Traveler Location
GSOC Asia worked to make sure all travelers in or on their way to Japan received timely updates and relevant security guidance. Again, software aided the effort:
Mobile Travel Assistant (MTA) from partner ConTgo helped GSOC Asia confirm the location of all Microsoft travelers. Those en route to or already in Japan were told of the unfolding situation via an alert message. That message required a response from the traveler to verify well-being.
Mr. Howard notes:
Within minutes, we could tell who was where and what facilities were near the dangers. We could deter- mine how many travelers we had in-country and ping them quickly.
Security Services
GSOC Asia provided security advice, support, and facilities to all personnel
affected by the disaster. Several software tools were used:
Extranet pages of the Global Security website were used to publish travel restrictions and office closure information. Use of the extranet meant personnel did not need access to the corporate network to obtain information. This site was also used to publish relevant guidance for all employees.
Lenel, the access control system used to monitor all Microsoft campuses and buildings, demonstrated its durability by remaining fully operational throughout the crisis.
Mr. Foynes adds:
Right after the earthquake, many employees were trying to help.
Lync helped us coordinate their activities, reduce duplication of effort, and control rumors.
The software created a virtual war room. With Lync I could commun- icate with GSOC Asia, help them set a course, and pass along instructions and other information. InfoPath helped us share data about all our facilities in Japan so we could reach out to them directly.
Enterprise Collaboration
The Japan IMT fostered the internal coordination necessary to monitor the impact of the disasters and to serve Microsoft personnel during this critical time. GSOC Asia and the Japan IMT collaborated fully.
The Enterprise Incident Management Team (EIMT) had been activated because of the scale and scope of the disaster.
The EIMT provided guidance at the international level, sharing news of events with the Japan and Asia Pacific IMTs. Lync provided flexible, robust communications between these teams.
Regional Security Advisors arrived on scene to assist the Japan IMT. In addition to serving on the ground, the Regional Security Advisors crafted a contingency evacuation plan. They also coordinated with local procurement to replenish survival kits and bottled water for affected Microsoft offices.
The Japan IMT updated the Asia regional security team and the Global Security Senior Leadership Team on changing conditions and decisions reached in the field. The North Asia Regional Security Manager led the Japan relocation team, consisting of individuals from Finance, Real Estate, Procurement, Travel, Global Security, and Information Technology.
Other Microsoft groups providing input and support to the local and regional security teams included:
Risk Management, which offered its perspective on risk levels and appropriate responses.
Global Security Intelligence Group, which provided counsel on raising Japan’s country risk rating to High.
The group also monitored the rapidly changing situation and reported findings to enterprise and security leadership. This information enabled key decision makers to effectively deal with threats to life safety and
potential impact to the business.
Asia Education & Awareness, which published advisories and individual employee guidance.
GSOC Asia, which provided all outreach, event notifications, and situation updates. GSOC Asia activated all IMT calls, located travelers, issued formal
communications, and monitored access to all Microsoft facilities as long as the IMT operated.
Enterprise Business Continuity Management, which worked with affected internal business continuity teams to ensure that business continuity and disaster recovery plans were in place. These plans provided a framework for evaluating and addressing continuity of critical business operations and mitigating impacts on products and services.
The Japan IMT remained active until April 15, 2011, when the Japan Senior Leadership Team took over ongoing review of the recovery processes.
Outcome
The Japanese earthquake and tsunami left behind not only a humanitarian crisis but also massive economic impact. The Japanese government mobilized its Self- Defense Forces, and many countries sent search and rescue teams to locate survivors. Aid organizations in Japan and worldwide responded, with the Japanese Red Cross reporting $1 billion in donations. The economic impact included the loss of industrial
production in many factories, as well as a long-term rebuilding effort, which has been estimated at ¥10 trillion
For More Information For more information about Microsoft products and services, call the Microsoft Sales Information Center at (800) 426-9400. In Canada, call the Microsoft Canada Information Centre at (877) 568-2495.
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To access information using the World Wide Web, go to www.microsoft.com.
For more information about Microsoft Global Security, visit WHAT ADDRESS.
The Microsoft GSOC team uses a range of customizable, off- the-shelf solutions for physical security, including Microsoft technologies integrated with third-party products. This strategy helps create an enterprise security solution that reduces costs and improves customer service. For more information, visit
www.microsoft.com/
government/ww/safety- defense/articles/Pages/global- security-operations-center.aspx.
This case study is for informational purposes only. MICROSOFT MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, IN THIS SUMMARY.
Published March 2012
($122 billion). Moreover, severe damage at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station led to radiation leaks with the prospect of long-term health and environmental hazards and prolonged, expensive cleanup.
For Microsoft, this disaster tested the GSOC and the Incident Management Team to the fullest. Working collaboratively with GSOC Asia, the Japan IMT provided continuous
communication with affected personnel, ensuring their safety and access to help.
Microsoft and partner technologies played a critical role in the success of the IMT. Lync enabled voice and instant messaging among Microsoft staff, as well as sharing of screens and
documents. Lync also enabled callers to join meetings from landline, mobile, or laptop devices. InfoPath and the IMT portal allowed easy, immediate access to relevant documents, regardless of location or format.
Partner tools AtHoc and ConTgo’s Mobile Travel Assistant facilitated the tracking of all affected staff. Extranet pages on the Global Security website provided timely and relevant communication with the people who needed it most, regardless of network disruptions.
Keys to Success
Mr. Howard names the following as vital parts of the enterprise response to the catatrophe:
Planning and strategy. The response was no knee-jerk reaction.
The enterprise was prepared and had a written plan.
Connecting planning and strategy to technology. The effort ran on off- the-shelf software from Microsoft and its partners. Users can set up the solutions on their own, without excessive customizing.
Exercise and practice. The teams practiced their roles in advance and improved the plans as needed.
Alignment with C-suite goals. The executive overseeing response shares vetted information with enterprise leaders, ascertains their priorities, and ensures that resources are made available to help the IMTs do their work.
Mr. Howard notes, “Given the enormity of the situation, our success is a testament to our planning, our technology, and our people.”
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