intelligent

The challenge for CIOs and others responsible for Business Continuity Planning is that such plans are often only tested when they are needed . By then , if there are faults , it is too late to put them right .

There are two ways to address this issue . The first is to set a rule that every time a new piece of technology is added or any changes or upgrades take place , the Business Continuity Plan is revisited so that both internal procedures and any SLA commitments can be checked . In addition , regular complete reviews should be built into the board ’ s general review schedule .

The second way of ensuring a Business Continuity Plan is fit for purpose is to do dry runs . Paper exercises are one thing but trying a plan out for real is something else . How to manage these , particularly in terms of critical technology infrastructure and Disaster Recovery is something your technology vendors and resellers can help you with . Some will be better prepared than others and some will have ready-made recovery plans and runbooks showing best-in-class ways you can adopt to enhance continuity in your business .

Once the organisation completes a test , it should review how it went and update the plan accordingly . It ' s likely that some parts of the plan will go well but other actions will require more work . A regular schedule for testing is helpful , especially if the business changes its operations , vendors and staff frequently . Comprehensive Business Continuity undergoes continual testing , review and updating .

Inevitably , Business Continuity Planning creates an additional workload . But it is an important workload . A solid Business Continuity Plan can help your firm continue with business as usual in the face of challenges and feel confident that the challenges will be dealt with in the shortest time possible . Business Continuity Planning does not require any risk-taking , but it can deliver a high reward . �

BUSINESS CONTINUITY PLANNING DOES NOT REQUIRE ANY RISK- TAKING , BUT IT CAN DELIVER A HIGH REWARD .