September 2008 / September 2008 - Business Continuity Planning
One of the hottest topics in business today is Business Continuity Planning (BCP), also commonly referred to as Disaster Recovery Planning. Companies of all sizes are starting to ask themselves if they have a plan, and if so, is the plan still relevant to how they do business today? Successful companies must constantly adapt to an ever-changing marketplace in order to stay competitive, and the Business Continuity Plan must evolve and change as the business does. In this month’s Tech Brief we will discuss the basics of a Business Continuity Plan, how to get started on creating one, and things to consider as part of that process.
What is a Business Continuity Plan?
A Business Continuity Plan is a well thought out plan that documents critical processes and procedures needed to keep a business running in the event of a disaster. Plans typically cover three areas: Process Management (Operations), Recovery of IT services, and Crisis Management (communication and relocation of employees). The word disaster makes many people think of events in distant parts of the world, but in fact there are many types of disasters that affect local businesses every day. Examples of business disasters are:
- Loss of Data (accidental or intentional)
- Hardware Failure
- Loss of Utilities (Building Power, Internet Access)
- Major Events (Fire, Flood, Earthquakes, Severe Weather, Terrorism, and Disease)
You may be asking yourself - do I really need a plan? The quick answer is yes, you need a plan if you enjoy staying in business following a crisis or emergency that affects the business. Statistics have shown that 40% of businesses never reopen following a disaster. Of the ones that do, an estimated 25% of them close their doors within two years time. Statistics also show that 50% of businesses are affected by server failure at some point, and nearly all businesses experience loss of utilities from time to time. The goal of a BCP is to help your business minimize its risk through upfront mitigation and post-disaster recovery. Much like insurance, Business Continuity Planning is an investment that you realize the value of when you, and your company, truly need it.
Developing a Plan
So how do you start? The first step is making the decision to get started. Business Continuity Plans do take time and effort to create. They require discussion, planning, documentation and, once established, regular updating. Developing a plan can seem overwhelming at first, but that should not deter you from starting small and getting the fundamentals documented. Thrive Networks can help you start, one piece at a time. Our approach is broken down into four phases.
Thrive's Phased Approach
P1 – Discovery/Assessment of current system
P2 – Implement DR/BC Technology (as needed)
P3 – Document and test the plan
P4 – Yearly testing/updating of DR/BC Plan
Phase 1 – Discovery/Asses your current Business Continuity Plan
- Do I have an existing plan?
- Is the one I have current (updated within the past 12 months)
- Does it encompass all business systems and technologies (email, BlackBerry, phones, etc.)?
- Does it address my staff being displaced?
- Determine/Decide if the current plan provides the business with recovery of business systems in a timetable and at a scope which allows the business to recover from the outage and resume normal operations in an acceptable amount of time.
Phase 2 - Implement DR/BC Technology (Backup Systems, Server Collocation, Hosted Systems, etc)
- Many SMB’s have no plan or an incomplete plan (tape backup is not a plan!)
- Often the plan, upon review, does not provide adequate recovery for the business to operate successfully - perhaps the recovery of key systems would take too long or some critical information is not documented and is not easily recovered.
Phase 3 - Document and Test
- The updated/created plan must be explicitly documented
- Test the effectiveness of your procedures and vendors spoken to in your plan
- Train your staff on their roles and responsibility, so when the time comes, they are prepared to execute the plan
Phase 4 - Revisit/Revise the plan annually
- BC plans are living documents, be prepared to revisit your BC plan annually
- Business operations change/evolve over time and your plan must change with your business
- Inadequate plan - poor recovery and execution may result from an inadequate plan. Or it may not address major disasters (no power for two weeks, etc.)
NEXT GENERATION OF DISASTER PREPAREDNESS and RECOVERY – Are You Ready?
See how your organization can implement a disaster preparedness plan similar to the area’s leading Outsourced IT Provider.
Thrive Networks and Agility Recovery Solutions (www2.agilityrecovery.com) will be conducting a scheduled disaster recovery simulation at Thrive's corporate headquarters on October 15th and 16th. The exercise will include Agility's ReadySuite Solution, whereby the company will deliver any or all of the four key ReadySuite recovery elements: Power, Technology, Space, and Connectivity to a client’s chosen location within 48 hours of any business interruption. The exercise is being conducted as a normal part of Thrive's annual preparedness plan.
This exercise will feature the combined benefits of Thrive's managed service offering and disaster recovery planning with Agility's ReadySuite solutions. Interested parties are invited to attend.
For more information, contact Thrive at 978 461 3999 or at info@thrivenetworks.com
Conclusion
Business Continuity Planning is something that businesses of all sizes and industries must take seriously. In order for your business to survive and recover from a crisis, preparedness is not only appropriate, it is essential. By starting small and following a systematic approach to your Business Continuity Plan, you can take what appears to be an overwhelming task, and turn it into an efficient and productive exercise. If you are interested in learning more about how Thrive Networks can help you develop a plan appropriate for your business , or would like an assessment of your current recovery plan, please contact us.