Business continuity begins with the launch of the planning project. Business Impact Analysis (BIA) and risk assessment are critical steps in gathering information for the plan. The Business Continuity Institute (BCI) is a global professional organization that provides education, research, professional accreditation, certification, networking opportunities, leadership, and advice on business continuity and organizational resilience. If your business is lagging behind when it comes to disaster planning, you don`t have to catch up on your own. In 2004, after the crises of previous years, the UK government passed the Civil Contingencies Act 2004: businesses must put continuity planning measures in place to survive and continue to thrive while striving to minimise the incident. [38] It may seem overwhelming at first, but identifying critical processes and applications and implementing baseline recovery strategies and plans is a prerequisite for any functional and effective BC plan. Your plan should include a basic organizational structure for your team, as well as the necessary tips and checklists for your business units, IT, and leadership team that enable quick response and action. When multiple systems fail, recovery plans must balance the need for data consistency with other objectives, such as RTO and RPO. [26] Recovery Coherence Objective (RCO) is the name of this objective. It applies data consistency objectives to define a measure of the consistency of distributed enterprise data in interconnected systems after a catastrophic event. In this context, similar terms are “Recovery Consistency Characteristics” (RCC) and “Recovery Object Granularity” (ROG). [27] Small businesses will find multiple options for deploying virtualized desktop interfaces and implementing centralized storage and security, data protection, 24×7 availability, and optional archiving and disaster recovery storage. At HPE, our server virtualization solutions are based on HPE ProLiant servers with scalable and optimized processors.
The end result of assessing and monitoring business continuity is a transition to a new normal that drives innovation and breakthroughs, and sometimes even leads to new business models. Implementing redundant IT infrastructure and contingency plans used to be prohibitive for all but the largest enterprises, but new on-demand cost-effective cloud technologies make robust business continuity strategies feasible for millions of businesses. Small businesses: As small businesses often face challenges in staying afloat, cost and efficiency remain paramount. Many have found server virtualization solutions simple and secure. Virtual desktop infrastructure solutions enable small businesses to meet the demands of a secure and productive remote workforce. The best solutions provide secure and efficient access to applications and data and support a wide range of user needs. The real question is what a company risks if it gives up on a business continuity plan. Short answer: a lot and sometimes everything. Many have discovered after catastrophic events that a failure in planning can mean the failure of the entire company itself. The waiver can lead to a “Game Over” scenario. Loss of revenue, loss of customers, loss of profits – the list is bleak.
But while most companies recognize the need for a business continuity plan, they often don`t consider what`s at stake. Without a business continuity plan, companies not only run the risk of being offline and losing valuable revenue, but also losing their reputation and market leadership. It takes years to raise awareness of a particular organization. The prospect of losing a hard-earned reputation and a position at the top of an industry is almost unthinkable and its cost incalculable. The prudent measure is the one that was better started yesterday. And while not all risks can be completely avoided, a robust business continuity plan can ensure that the lights stay on and customers continue to be served. The United Kingdom and Australia[39] have included resilience in their continuity planning. [40] [41] In the UK, resilience is implemented locally through the Local Resilience Forum.
Is your company ready for the unexpected? Many businesses are not prepared for a disaster, and even if plans are in place to maintain their business operations, they may be inadequate or outdated. Each disruption is unique and unpredictable. A business continuity plan may not protect against all threats, but such a plan gives your business a better chance of survival. Business continuity may even be required for legal or compliance reasons. Especially in times of increasing regulation, it is important to understand which regulations affect a particular organization. Creating a business continuity plan requires a thorough assessment of the impact disruptions can have on all aspects of the business, from people to processes to supply chains. It provides a means to respond and mitigate potential emergencies. Business continuity threats include events such as natural disasters, supply chain outages, cyber attacks, the loss of a key employee and, in particular, pandemics. Regardless of the tools an organization uses to ensure business continuity, it is important to test disaster recovery tools and procedures before a disaster occurs.
