BE PREPARED FOR A CRISIS
During and after a crisis, it’s important for your business to maintain its essential functions. Whether something minor like a temporary power outage, or major like a cyber attack or weather event, continuity planning means you’re prepared for whatever disruption comes your way.
Having proactive solutions in place before a disaster occurs means your critical operations continue uninterrupted, and a quick recovery of all functions is guaranteed.
COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS
Evaluating which functions are most vital to your organization, and must be prioritized with failover mechanisms, is key to continuity planning.
Additionally, analyzing points of weakness (such as through a risk assessment and/or BIA, business impact analysis), creating a contact list so all stakeholders are properly informed, and designing step-by-step instructions for a variety of crises are all part of the analysis process.
Recovery time objectives and recovery point objectives must also be evaluated.
Importance of Planning
// Maintain resiliency
// Continue essential functions
// Meet regulatory reguirements
// Minimize downtime
// Develop a competitive edge
SUCCESSFUL EXECUTION
Designating who is in charge of the continuity plan is of the utmost importance. This could be one person or a team of people, and could include software that conducts BIA.
For success, communication of the plan to all personnel is key, and must include a variety of crisis scenarios. Do not wait until disaster strikes. It’s important to have drills that test the plan through tabletop exercises or emergency simulations.
Continual testing, reviewing and updating is part of the ongoing process of a continuity plan.
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