Business Continuity Planning

If your business is disrupted, it can cost money and lost revenue which then hits your profit margin. A good business insurance will cover some costs, but not all of them, and it cannot help with replacing customers that have defected to your closest rivals.

The objective of the business continuity process is to help you develop an IT Business Continuity plan such that in the event of any of the identified risks occurring, staff know what to do to get your business back up and running in a timely fashion, reducing lost revenue, retaining customers and getting back to a “business as usual” state as soon as possible. Kriston Technology has carried out this process with numerous clients over the years and have refined it to ensure it is relevant, up-to-date and flexible. Although the process focuses on the development of an IT Business Continuity Plan, a number of the risks are relevant to the broader business environment and will feed into the business level Business Continuity Plan.

Why do it?

Reduces financial loss during a business disruption, by working to a known plan to become operational quicker.
It is a requirement of many insurance companies that companies have a Business Continuity/Disaster Recovery Plan. At the very least, it may reduce instalments.
It is often something larger companies ask for when doing business with smaller companies.
It smooths the process in the event of the worst happening because people know what to do.

The process

Every business is different, but there are a number of fairly common risks which are relevant to everyone. These risks form the basis of the plan so as to provide a ‘quick start’ to the process. During the process, the common risks are reviewed, and any new local ones analysed and added. The initial process normally takes three to five days, undertaken over the course of a couple of months to complete.

Key stages of the process:

Identify Risks
Identify likelihood of each risk
Identify impact to business of each risk
Develop mitigation plans
Evaluate and cost mitigation plans
Agree on solutions
Identify owners
Review and update (annually or with significant change)

Who should be involved?

Representatives from all aspects of the business, comprising of a group of not more than 8 people, who have the power to act. Kriston Techinology will act as the facilitator in the process.

The Outputs

An IT Business Continuity Plan. The document that is produced is a ‘living document’ and should be reviewed at least once a year to reflect changes in the organisation and the IT Infrastructure. It will include:

Summary of IT Infrastructure
Identified risks
Actions
Links to other relevant documents (e.g. business level Disaster Recovery plan, contact lists)
Server recovery scenarios

Taking the next step

If you need help and assistance in creating a Business Continuity Plan for your business, call Kriston Technology today on 01993 80 980, or fill in the form below.

Business Continuity Planning