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The positive impacts of business continuity
Business continuity, in its former guise as disaster recovery was usually an IT-led response to a crisis. It has since evolved as a more measured form of contingency planning, that covers more than the IT provision and will, if correctly implemented, ensure the survival of any business that takes the time and effort to prepare a plan, writes Russell Cook, director at SIRE Technology
We're now seeing another phase of evolution in business continuity; organisations are recognising how the thought and analysis that goes into a business continuity plan actually has a positive impact on the day-to- day running and management. You don't have to wait for a 'rainy day' to recognise its value.
Every business, regardless of its size, market or maturity should have a continuity plan, and it needs to be in tune with the nature and scale of the business. A sole practitioner, working at home should obviously do a regular back up of their IT equipment and probably keep hard copies, filed safely, of documents like VAT payments, insurance certificates and contact details for their main customers and suppliers. An organisation with several sites and hundreds of staff is obviously going to have far more to consider and a wider-ranging contingency plan will be required.
Business continuity helps you understand what is going on inside your organisation
By taking what is termed a 'granular approach' to your business and investing time to understand the different stages of the various processes and how they interact, you will probably have one or two revelations. For example you may discover that there is duplication of processes or an incompatibility in how contact details are saved eg product name versus name of supplier. The purchasing department need to have a plan in place if a key supplier suddenly fails; HR and departmental managers should take time to think about what actions they will take in the short, medium and long term if a key member of staff is unexpectedly going to be absent. Being aware of these things may have dual benefits of improving efficiency and quality, both
THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE – THAMES VALLEY – OCTOBER 2014
of which may make an unexpected contribution to the bottom line.
What to consider if it is IT based?
When it is an IT issue that challenges continuity there are several questions and considerations, namely:
• The estimated length of the downtime, are you going to be without your Internet for 30 minutes, three hours or longer?
• How can you manage the immediate panic response that will almost inevitably arise?
• What is your RTO (recovery time objective) ie how quickly do you need to be back on line?
• What is your RPO (recovery point objective) ie do you need to recover absolutely everything or are there old files eg the Christmas party three years ago that you could live without.
The answer to this final point provides a key determinant on the nature of your business continuity plan. If you already have a cloud-based contingency plan do check your SLA; is data stored in a UK-based data centre, what contingency plans does your provider have in place, and can all the necessary parties access the data remotely?
Further complications may arise if your organisation utilises software from another source as an integral part of your business function. What happens if the unthinkable occurs to your software supplier, will your business grind to a halt? If this is a possibility it may be worth establishing an escrow
agreement. They can form a vital part of critical risk mitigation planning and one that gives all parties an added level of comfort. It also gives your customers added piece of mind and illustrates your own professionalism.
Communicating your commitment to business continuity to both customers and staff also has benefits. At the highest level, the awarding of the ISO 22301 makes public that you have understood, embraced and are committed to business continuity. Without it you may be excluded from tendering for some projects. At a lower level, as you talk to suppliers and staff and raise awareness of your plans it becomes a natural part of your company culture and one that new members of staff are introduced to when joining, alongside guidance and procedures about training, holidays and health and safety.
It may appear daunting but surely it makes sound commercial sense for you to have a robust understanding of your business and also to take the necessary steps to protect what you have worked so hard to create.
Details: Russell Cook 01344-758700
rcook@sire.co.uk www.sire.co.uk
www.businessmag.co.uk
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