Writing up a solid business continuity plan is key to running an effective modern company. There are plenty of people out there, however, who run businesses and do not know how to write one up or utilise one properly. This short article aims to fix that by pinpointing the main areas you need to cover on a good BCP.
The first thing to clarify is exactly what a BCP does and is. The reason you need one is to plan out what happens and what everybody in the organisation does when a disaster or problem strikes that stops you from operating at normal productivity. The problems that can, potentially, hit you out of the blue are numerous and can come from anywhere. Do not assume that you know them all from past experience.
First off you need to think about your staff and who is most important to your company. Look at all workers and decide which ones you can simply not afford to lose at any time. These are the ones you need to have a plan for.
Now have a think about how they do their jobs. Mainly you want to decide how many of them can telecommute and how this will affect their workload. If they cannot do their current role on a telecommuting basis and you are particularly worried about a disaster striking that stops production, then consider how you can modify their role to allow telecommuting to take place.
Next you want to have a long think about the external personnel who are key to your success - IT consultants, accountants, suppliers, etc. Make up a list and detail all contact information, location and how often you need to meet with them. A disaster might strike that shuts down their business as well as yours. While you cannot write their BCP you can make sure to take such a possibility into consideration in your own.
Equipment is also a big part of a BCP. Think about the items that allow you to do what you do effectively and how inability to access them will change your company. The modern office has come to a point where an electrical fault for two hours can mean an entire week's work is knocked off course. Plan how you deal with such problems and which equipment is most important.
When you have this information you need to translate it into a business continuity plan. Here you decide what to do in the event of an emergency. Make sure you do not end up losing out because of large events beyond your control. Write up a strong BCP today.
The first thing to clarify is exactly what a BCP does and is. The reason you need one is to plan out what happens and what everybody in the organisation does when a disaster or problem strikes that stops you from operating at normal productivity. The problems that can, potentially, hit you out of the blue are numerous and can come from anywhere. Do not assume that you know them all from past experience.
First off you need to think about your staff and who is most important to your company. Look at all workers and decide which ones you can simply not afford to lose at any time. These are the ones you need to have a plan for.
Now have a think about how they do their jobs. Mainly you want to decide how many of them can telecommute and how this will affect their workload. If they cannot do their current role on a telecommuting basis and you are particularly worried about a disaster striking that stops production, then consider how you can modify their role to allow telecommuting to take place.
Next you want to have a long think about the external personnel who are key to your success - IT consultants, accountants, suppliers, etc. Make up a list and detail all contact information, location and how often you need to meet with them. A disaster might strike that shuts down their business as well as yours. While you cannot write their BCP you can make sure to take such a possibility into consideration in your own.
Equipment is also a big part of a BCP. Think about the items that allow you to do what you do effectively and how inability to access them will change your company. The modern office has come to a point where an electrical fault for two hours can mean an entire week's work is knocked off course. Plan how you deal with such problems and which equipment is most important.
When you have this information you need to translate it into a business continuity plan. Here you decide what to do in the event of an emergency. Make sure you do not end up losing out because of large events beyond your control. Write up a strong BCP today.
About the Author:
If you are in need of a good business continuity plan take a look at Evergreen Data Continuity. We offer business continuity software for many purposes and more info is at the home page.
No comments:
Post a Comment