Newsletter Archive
December 2005
Although 88% of businesses have some form of a Business Continuity Plan, only
31% of those businesses feel that their plan would be effective in a time of crisis.
As business disruptions can occur with or without warning and with unpredictable
results, it is increasingly important for organizations to have an effective plan
of action to recover and maintain business operations in the event of these situations.
A Business Continuity Plan (BCP) offers organizations the information necessary
to evaluate a variety of situations, ranging from natural disasters and terrorism
to power outages and computer failures, while carrying out appropriate responses.
When creating a BCP, organizations should begin by identifying potential threats,
their impact on all departments, and what those departments need in order to maintain
the highest level of productivity. Issues to consider can include special equipment
that may be required and how departments would function without certain tools,
such as Internet access and other forms of telecommunications.
After developing potential situations, organizations should then evaluate the
disruptions to determine which are the mostly likely to occur and which have the
highest level of impact, and prioritize them accordingly. Locations of all facilities
and their susceptibility to certain threats should be taken into consideration,
as well as worst-case scenarios.
Once the potential threats have been evaluated, a written BCP that includes information
on under what conditions the plan should be executed and the responsibilities
of all personnel involved should be prepared and distributed. The plan should
address general scenarios, such as natural disasters, as opposed to more specific
events, such as a hurricane or flooding. The assumption should never be made that
key personnel or facilities will be accessible, or that all equipment will be
operating properly. The complete plan should be tested at least once a year to
ensure that all personnel understand their role and responsibility, and that the
plan will be carried out properly. Any information documented in the plan should
be reviewed periodically to guarantee efficiency in the event of a business disruption,
therefore decreasing the time taken to return to business as usual.
Business continuity plans offer organizations the chance to consider possible
disruptions and the best way to respond to effectively maintain operations. Since
businesses are in a constant state of motion and evolution, it is vital that the
BCP is revisited frequently. Nearly half (49%) of businesses update their BCP
once a year, with 32% updating their plan on a more frequent basis. With the appropriate
planning, any organization can be prepared for even the worst of situations, as
well as recovering from them.
For more information, please call 1-877-858-8772
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