INDUSTRY COMMENT
Five considerations when creating a business continuity plan
Here, Roger Leyland, technical services director at ISN Solutions, examines five key considerations that must be taken when formulating a robust and effective business continuity plan (BCP)
O Analytics
Data and analytics can play a crucial role in building a resilient BCP for unforeseen issues. Data enables business leaders to understand the complexities of their business’s operations and having an abundance of high- quality data is pivotal when creating a robust BCP. Analytics can play a part in identifying potential weak points and threats. Analysts can gather information around the kind of threats that an organisation is vulnerable to as well as a probability of this happening. From here businesses can set in place protocols to limit disruption. This
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ne thing COVID 19 has taught us is that companies must have provisions in place to be able
to continue operating during an unplanned disruption. A BCP is an essential document for all companies looking to prepare for unforeseen operational interruptions.
includes a business impact analysis (BIA) which helps determine how the loss of different functions and processes during a crisis can impact operations and helps the senior management team to assess the financial impact of losing individual departments.
Data storage & backups
Digital backups are the foundation for protecting business interests from all forms of attack, or even human error. Having an effective remote access system, linked to numerous data centres ensures that businesses are not reliant on a singular copy. But, ensuring there are ample restoration points and digital backups across a range of locations can ensure that the business can continue working. With this brings cyber security concerns of remote access and unprotected networks. Basic cybersecurity practices are the best way to ensure that data is protected, and operations are not compromised. As part of a BCP, features such as multifactor authentication, usage of Virtual Private Networks (VPN’s), and
‘Zero Trust’ solutions are the best ways to protect your business from cyber disruptions.
RTO and RPO
There are some clear indicators for an effective BCP. A business’s Recovery Time Objective (RTO) is the maximum time allowed to restore a business to a fully functional status after an event. Similarly, Recovery Point Objectives (RPO) measures how up-to-date recovered files must be to maintain operations. These benchmarks offer an indication of how robust a business’s BCP is.
Stress testing
Stress testing your BCP is a way of ensuring you’re adequately protected from a disaster, yet not over servicing or overpaying for protection. Stress testing your plan will highlight any fragilities and allow you to reconsider and reallocate resources effectively. Having this knowledge is key, so any failures in your BCP are better off being exposed in a test rather than in real time.
Accountability
It is important that someone is in charge of the BCP and is able to implement protocols should the need arise. This way your business can minimise disruption to operations. Supporting this should be extensive documentation for all processes that need to be taken with an up-to-date secure contact. It is important that your BCP also complies with the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO). ISO 22301:2019, Security and resilience – Business continuity management systems, which requires adequate planning and implementation of a document management system to help galvanise businesses from disruptive incidents.
The role of an MSP
A managed service provider (MSP) can help your business maximise the potential of your BCP. It can provide a comprehensive review of your business and the threats it faces, followed by the implementation of solutions, practices, and training to make sure that you stay compliant.
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