My career in business continuity began by stumbling on a crisis management product (Dell AlertFind - very cool). I shared this information with the person currently charged with business continuity at my employer and found myself becoming more and more involved in the initiative. After doing some preliminary research and speaking with several others involved in business continuity, I quickly understood I was WAY over my head.
Unlike DR, BC encompasses all aspects of contingency, preparedness and recovery planning, not just the IT stuff. To put together a BC plan requires an in-depth understanding of what the core functions of the business are, their interdependencies and external dependencies, their vulnerabilities and workforce requirements.
Typically texts will instruct those looking to develop a BC plan to do the following:
1. Create a project plan
2. Conduct a business impact analysis (BIA), identifying business critical processes (the core functions of each department), departmental interdependencies, IT dependencies, the financial and reputational impact incurred per core function over time and workforce requirements to sustain the critical processes.
3. Create a business continuity plan based upon the findings of the BIA
4. Train the company employees in their respective roles in the plan
5. Test the plan with specific groups of employees in real-world/relevant scenarios
6. Incorporate feedback/revision loops into the plan so that the results of exercises, tests or actual plan activation will serve to streamline and enrich the plan.
One aspect of business continuity planning that is often overlooked is the requirement for senior management endorsement. I am ending this post here, as I want to dedicate a bit more energy to discussing this key requirement.
No comments:
Post a Comment