Disaster recovery and business continuity planning is essential for any business taking itself seriously. Discover what the process involves and why you absolutely need it.

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Volume 3:
What is Business Continuity and How Important is it for
Business?
Business continuity or business application continuity are the processes a
company puts in place to ensure the essential functions of a business can
continue to run during and after a disaster (natural or man made).
Companies need to make sure they have a business continuity plan (BCP) in the
event of potential disasters such as power and energy disruptions, community
and transportation failure, natural disasters such as fire, floods and blizzards.
They should also never underestimate the human accidents and also human
sabotage of a company’s systems.
It is important for businesses to have a BCP from a human resources perspective.
In companies where they have a BCP (which is well known throughout the
organisation), the employees’ confidence in the organisation grows. It shows
that the company cares and values its employees and recognises they have a
future in the business.
It is the duty of any responsible organisation to have a business continuity plan
in place. This shows to customers and shareholders that the company is
proactive and it also helps to make the organisation more efficient as it identifies
the human and financial resources.
There are a number of organisations where companies can outsource business
continuity. These organisations will help to identify the areas of business risk
and create a bespoke solution for that company. Larger organisations especially
banks, and investment firms have their own business continuity function.

2. The smaller organisations and start ups are less likely to have this function as it
can be rather expensive and it is not always seen as a high priority.
There are a several different business continuity products. The third party
provider can provide initial assessments to find out the best services for a
company and they can then help put together a maintenance plan.
These organisations can also offer data storage and backup, recover and
alternate work spaces. It is essential to thoroughly research a BC provider as
there are many in the market place, but the cost depends on the services your
organisation requires.
Some BC companies have a set monthly fee over a certain contract period,
whereas others require a payment upfront
No company can afford to have downtime and be offline. Business continuity
ensures that productivity and therefore revenue, are not affected, helping
businesses to stay competitive. The BCP should include arrangements to deliver
services and products to allow organisations to recover their data and assets in
times of emergency.
Contact Control Circle on +44 (0)845 459 1111 for more information on our
business continuity and disaster recovery services