Understanding Business Continuity

Business Continuity Planning Guide - Leap ManagedIt

A Business continuity plan is all about handling any kind of business disruption effectively. The plan will have various response strategies to tackle any major/minor disruptions with respect to business needs.

In this article, we Indianapolis LEAP Managed IT will share  information about what is business continuity and how it helps in recovery during disruption or disaster.

What is Business Continuity?

Business continuity is advance planning and preparation that are processed to ensure that the organization is capable of handling its functions even during the time of any emergency situation.

Business continuity is all about advance planning and preparation to insure processes are in place and capable of handling its functions even during the time of any emergency situations. The situations could be a natural disaster, pandemic, or any kind of situation that would affect the business functionalities or operations. Every business needs  to prepare  to withstand any kind of these situations that would stop the functionalities completely.

96% of companies with a trusted backup and disaster recovery plan were able to survive ransomware attacks

What does a Business Continuity Plan Include?

A robust business continuity plan will help your business to react confidently during disruption. This would also help in developing confidence within the team and reduce recovery timescales.

Hence, a business continuity plan will be equipped with the following,

  • Business impact analysis would identify potential risks and vulnerabilities both inside and outside the business and the business continuity plan is completely based on this analysis
  • The risk could be anything, any natural disaster or a major IT disruption but, it is vital that you should be capable of taking steps to prevent or reduce risks
  • The business continuity plan evaluates all possible consequences that would occur in your business and would also calculate the cost, effect, and recovery time
  • The business continuity plan can develop an appropriate response strategy based on the risks identified through the business impact analysis
  • The plan will also have details like, what action needs to be taken and who needs to be involved in the implementation of every action
  • The business plan clearly identifies and defines the roles and responsibilities of the person who needs to be involved in the response of the disruption
  • Effective communication is essential during business disruption to reduce dissatisfaction. The business continuity plan includes a list of contacts, templates for press release and social media posts for a quick communication both internally and externally
  • The business continuity plan would speed up communication during crisis and would ensure that all your contacts are kept on track
  • Creating a business continuity plan theoretically will not help. They need to be put into action for improvements before a  disaster occurs
  • Regular awareness training sessions are required so that your employees would understand their roles and responsibilities in responding to the disruptions.

How Can a Business Plan for Catastrophe?

Understanding Business Continuity infographic - Leap ManagedIt

93% of companies without Disaster Recovery who suffer a major data disaster are out of business within one year

How Long Business Survive Without Data?

Data is an atomic particle of a business. Data holds all the necessary information to achieve your organizational objectives. It is one of the biggest assets in a business as it helps in delivering tailored products and also in streamlining the operations of the business.

When your business has to go through any unexpected situations the chances of data loss is high. Survival of a business without data is difficult. Henceforth, it is always advisable to maintain a proper backup of all your data. It can help in getting your business back with the guidance of the business continuity plan.

It is vital that business should run seamlessly without the situation of downtime due to human errors. For this, business should keep in-line with the latest technologies and regular updates of the software/plugins. It must also ensure that all the streamlining processes within the business are performing securely.

Whom Should Business Contact For Help?

Businesses are outsourcing professional IT service to providers who take care of their operations and functionalities in the IT department. Hence, business owners should ensure that outsourced service providers can produce a business continuity plan along with other services.
Not all IT service providers offer their support or plan to get back your business after a crisis. There are service providers who take care of all the requirements of the IT department. They also include the preparation of business continuity plans at times of downtime.

Businesses  choose providers like LEAP Managed IT, who deliver business continuity plans along with other IT services. You can check out a case study of how LEAP Managed IT has helped First United Methodist Church to overcome their situation.

Hence, it is advisable to look for IT service providers who can be supportive even during your downtime.

Get Your Business Continuity Plan Today

If you haven’t prepared your business continuity plan – don’t delay. Preparing a business continuity plan will help you with faster recovery. This will create confidence in your team that the organization is taking up effective steps to respond to the disruptions.

Are you looking for expert guidance for preparing a business continuity plan for your IT department? Visit our website, LEAP Managed IT. We can help you with the best solutions by understanding your needs and business. Also, we handle Managed I.T, phone, Process Automation and more. Like us on Facebook and get more ridiculously helpful tips for your business.

To know more about LEAP Managed IT, check out this video.

Patrycja Thomas

Author: Patrycja Thomas

Fortune 500 sales and marketing veteran dedicated to helping small businesses change the world with technology.