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FAQs
Business Continuity Planning
Security Budget Reviews
Threat and Risk Assessment
Computer Security |
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 In a time when the likelihood of disruptions to business activity brought on by any one or combination of environmental, infrastructure, or man made disasters can occur on a moments notice, having a Business Continuity Plan (BCP) is like having a different kind of insurance policy for your company.
The BCP process considers the needs and wants of the stakeholders, communities served, shareholders, owners, staff, and management. Increasingly though, companies must consider outsourcing those elements that are not core, but are necessary to support core activities that generate revenue, such as facilities, information and communication technologies, and ‘to market’ channel.
The primary focus any company serious about contingency planning is to be that focused set of eyes and ears that assess and validate that the plans being developed and implemented are not only designed to mitigate against risks that could cripple or even kill an enterprise in the event of a catastrophic disaster, but rather to ensure that no stone has been left unturned, or minor detail brushed under the carpet that will impact execution.
 Often companies do not have available the time, expertise, or skill sets to develop and implement systems that can be expedited and effectively executed in the event of an emergency. As a result, many companies will outsource this capability to a professional services firm. Make sure you choose a truly independent, active participant who advocates on your behalf in the planning and execution of contingency plans and can be a non-partisan evaluator of the system and processes. That ensures your BCP investment will work and keep your business viable in time of crisis.
 In order to develop a feasible plan, companies must work with all stakeholders, customers and suppliers to develop contingencies. eveloping such a plan is often easier said than done as a thorough Business Continuity Plan can be as complex as a major project or procurement.Similarly, doing all of the contingency planning in house can add cost and delays or inject stale thinking as stakeholders share planning and day to day operational activities. There is also a danger of missing something important, like having enough fuel on hand to maintain generators for days or weeks if need be, or ensuring that every employee has high speed connectivity from home to telecommute.
Important BCP support activities include:
- Detailed Analysis of Threat and Risk Assessment
- Review of the Business Impact Analysis
- Ensure Hot Site Recovery For Both Bricks And Clicks
- Asset Management and Assessment
- Safe Secure Telecommuting
- Off Site End User Recovery Services
- Alternate Manufacturing and Distribution Planning
. . . to name a few.
 Finally, while developing an effective business continuity plan and the capability to execute on that plan can be a necessary expense,it is worthwile exploring new revenue opportunities or reducing cost through a shared infrastructures to customers and partners such as hoteling, end user recovery facilities, and even physical space provided on demand to customers and partners in the event that they experience a disaster related business outage.
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