Business Continuity Planning - Ensure Operational Resilience

Business Continuity Planning

Ensure Your Organization Can Weather Any Storm

Disruptions are inevitable—from cyberattacks and natural disasters to system failures and pandemics. Business continuity planning ensures your organization can maintain critical operations during disruptions and recover quickly afterward.

What is Business Continuity Planning?

Business continuity planning (BCP) is the process of creating systems and procedures to enable your organization to:

Continue critical business functions during disruptions
Minimize operational and financial impact
Protect your reputation and stakeholder confidence
Meet regulatory and contractual obligations
Recover quickly and effectively

Our Approach

1. Business Impact Analysis (BIA)

Identify critical business functions
Assess impact of disruptions
Determine recovery time objectives (RTO)
Establish recovery point objectives (RPO)
Prioritize recovery efforts
Quantify financial and operational impact

2. Risk Assessment

Identify potential threats and vulnerabilities
Assess likelihood and impact
Evaluate existing controls
Identify gaps in resilience
Prioritize risk treatment

3. Strategy Development

Define recovery strategies for critical functions
Identify alternative work locations
Establish backup systems and processes
Develop vendor and supplier continuity plans
Create communication strategies
Define resource requirements

4. Plan Development

Create comprehensive BCP documentation
Develop departmental recovery plans
Establish clear roles and responsibilities
Document recovery procedures
Create communication templates
Develop escalation protocols

5. Training and Awareness

Train recovery teams
Educate all employees
Distribute quick reference guides
Establish regular awareness campaigns

6. Testing and Exercises

Conduct tabletop exercises
Perform functional tests
Execute full-scale simulations
Document lessons learned
Update plans based on findings

7. Maintenance and Review

Establish regular review cycles
Update for organizational changes
Incorporate lessons learned
Maintain current contact information
Re-validate assumptions

Key Components

Business Continuity Policy - Executive commitment and governance framework.

Business Impact Analysis - Critical functions and recovery requirements.

Risk Assessment - Threats, vulnerabilities, and mitigation strategies.

Recovery Strategies - How critical functions will be maintained or restored.

Incident Response - Initial actions to assess and respond to disruptions.

Crisis Management - Leadership and decision-making during events.

Disaster Recovery - Technical system recovery procedures.

Communication Plan - Internal and external communication protocols.

Testing Program - Regular validation of plans and capabilities.

Training Program - Ongoing education and awareness.

Recovery Objectives

Recovery Time Objective (RTO)

Maximum acceptable time to restore a business function after disruption.

Recovery Point Objective (RPO)

Maximum acceptable amount of data loss measured in time.

Maximum Tolerable Downtime (MTD)

Longest time a function can be unavailable before causing unacceptable consequences.

Minimum Business Continuity Objective (MBCO)

Minimum service level acceptable during disruption.

Common Disruption Scenarios

Technology Failures

System outages
Network failures
Data center issues
Cloud service disruptions
Cyber attacks and ransomware

Natural Disasters

Hurricanes and floods
Earthquakes
Wildfires
Severe weather
Pandemics

Human-Caused Events

Cyber attacks
Workplace violence
Strikes and labor disputes
Supply chain disruptions
Terrorism

Facility Issues

Fire or water damage
Power outages
HVAC failures
Building evacuations
Access denial

Deliverables

Business Continuity Plan

Comprehensive BCP documentation
Executive summary
Scope and objectives
Recovery strategies
Roles and responsibilities
Activation procedures

Supporting Plans

Department recovery plans
IT disaster recovery plan
Crisis communication plan
Supplier continuity requirements
Work area recovery plan

Business Impact Analysis Report

Critical function identification
Impact analysis
Recovery requirements
Dependency mapping
Resource requirements

Test and Exercise Program

Testing schedule and methodology
Exercise scenarios
Evaluation criteria
Reporting templates

Training Materials

Team training presentations
Employee awareness materials
Quick reference guides
Contact lists and directories

Benefits

Operational Resilience - Maintain critical operations during disruptions.

Regulatory Compliance - Meet BCP requirements (SOC 2, ISO 22301, HIPAA, etc.).

Customer Confidence - Demonstrate ability to serve customers during crises.

Financial Protection - Minimize revenue loss and recovery costs.

Competitive Advantage - Outperform competitors during industry-wide disruptions.

Insurance Benefits - Potentially reduce insurance premiums.

Stakeholder Assurance - Give board, investors, and partners confidence.

Regulatory and Framework Alignment

Our BCP services align with:

ISO 22301 (Business Continuity Management)
NIST SP 800-34 (Contingency Planning)
SOC 2 (Availability and Confidentiality)
HIPAA (Contingency Planning requirements)
FFIEC guidelines
Industry-specific regulations

Who Needs Business Continuity Planning?

All Organizations - Every business depends on critical functions that could be disrupted.

Regulated Industries - Healthcare, finance, and others with specific BCP requirements.

Service Providers - Organizations with customer availability commitments.

Critical Infrastructure - Utilities, communications, and other essential services.

E-Commerce - Businesses dependent on continuous online operations.

Manufacturing - Companies with production continuity needs.

Beyond Technology

While IT disaster recovery is critical, true business continuity addresses:

People and their safety
Facilities and workspace
Suppliers and vendors
Customers and communication
Regulatory and legal obligations
Financial and operational impacts

Build Organizational Resilience

Don't wait for a disruption to discover your business continuity gaps. Develop comprehensive plans today.