Small & Medium Business IT - Business Continuity Planning

Introduction

While you have no doubt heard the mantra, "Backup, backup, backup!” many small businesses have yet to take this key business process to the next level which is Business Continuity Planning.

In this article, I'm going to briefly cover several basic areas that need to be accounted for when starting to create the Business Continuity Plan (BCP) portion of your companies general Disaster Recovery Plan (DRP).

Disaster Recovery Plan (DRP) vs. Business Continuity Plan (BCP)

Often the terms Disaster Recovery Plan and Business Continuity Plan are used interchangeably when the Business Continuity Plan is a subset of your companies overall Disaster Recovery Plan. Your BCP accounts for the resumption of any IT processes critical to your businesses recovery after a disaster.

The BCP includes all the details of how you will…

- Restore or recreate your IT infrastructure

- Protect and restore company data

- Have access to necessary network hardware and application software

- Planning for non-IT related aspects such as identifying key personnel and facilities

Business Continuity Plan (BCP)

The BCP is essentially a play book that tells all of the key players in your company what needs to happen after a disaster. It is your how-to manual on how to rebuild the IT infrastructure of your business quickly so that it will be ready for your company to resume business as quickly as possible.

What Goes Into Your BCP

Your companies BCP should cover all of the critical IT functions of your company. And it will be a constantly evolving document that will grow and change just as your business grows and changes.

The basic parts of a Business Continuity Plan are…

- IT Infrastructure Analysis

- Continuation Solutions

- Implementation Plan

- Testing (and re-testing, and then more testing, …)

- Management Acceptance

- Process Maintenance

Now this list is by no means comprehensive, but it should give you an idea of the scope involved in creating and maintaining a BCP. Also, keep in mind, this manual will be just part of the overall Disaster Recovery Plan, so be sure that you seek input from all of your divisions, marketing, accounting, sales, shipping, etc. An effective continuity plan addresses the IT continuity needs for everyone, from the CEO to the mail room.

Is It Really Worth It?

Are a DRP and BCP expensive? Yes, depending on the size of your organization, and the scope of what needs to be addressed to achieve continuity following a disaster, it can be expensive. And in this economy, it can be a very hard sell when you try to budget for something that may never be of benefit to the company.

However, if a disaster strikes, and if you are prepared with your BCP, you will have following advantages…

- Customer retention (Hey, customers! We're still here for you!)

- New customers (Because your competitors didn't have a BCP)

- Market respect (Because the market likes survivors)

- Banking credibility (Lenders tend to place more trust well prepared survivors)

Beyond this list, there are the collateral factors like being able to continue to generate your own personal income, as well as providing for your employees.

So, is it worth it? Many company wrestles with that question at one time or another. Ask yourself this, what will I, and my customers, and my employees, do if disaster strikes and my business is gone? It's doubtful the answers will be very reassuring.

Summary

Business Continuity Planning and Disaster Recovery Planning are serious issues often moved to the back burner by businesses because they don't feel the same urgency as say, meeting monthly sales goals or meeting the payroll. And until a disaster occurs, you won't see the benefit of all the work it takes.

However, if there comes a day when disaster strikes and you have a plan in place and your business is back up and running within hours or days instead of weeks or months, you, your customers and employees, will know that it was a very wise investment.

Start planning now for your business's continuity after a disaster. Take the necessary steps to protect the business you've built. Who knows, maybe you'll even sleep better at night.