Keep the business going
By Julie Frieswyk, printed 08/12/05 in the Philadelphia Business Journal.
There are many lessons those around the world can and will learn from the recent bombings in London. Of these lessons, there is one subject that sticks out like a sore thumb to businesses worldwide- business continuity. In the midst of a time when no country, no person, and certainly no business is safe from threats of a natural disaster, we are all forced to also understand the reality of terrorism affecting our bottom lines. In a time when our computers know more than our employees and our employees know more than an outsider; both of these resources become indispensable and major liabilities if lost or destroyed without having a plan.
Though business continuity plans are often lumped into a category alongside disaster recovery, the two are far from being the same. With disaster recovery, a business may have their data backed-up and have directions for how to pull itself back together as quickly and efficiently as possible; having a complete and tested business continuity plan will enable a company to either maintain their business operations, minimize the impact of the incident on the business operations or quickly resume mission-critical functions. Through a full analysis of business processes from an organizational view, a business continuity plan takes into consideration everything from the loss of printing capabilities to the loss of a building. The ultimate goal is to avoid losing business.
Disaster Recovery is how you will put your business back together after something happens. Business Continuity includes people and process and is focused on preventing your business from having an interruption. Some things like weather events, civil disturbances, and man-made fires cannot be predicted nor prevented, but you can plan for ways to make your business resilient and prevent a total stop of the business operations.
Imagine a company has a top salesperson who has many personal relationships that have helped the company's bottom line for years. This person is very well liked and extremely knowledgeable from the inner workings of the industry. On the way to work one morning this person experiences an accident and does not survive. Now, this company is missing a key source for capturing revenue. Now what? A business continuity plan has the answer planned out so that your company is able to be back to normal functioning levels within the quickest time possible.
This same story can be played out with scenarios involving so many resources that it becomes a stark reality we must all accept. Business continuity plans may not save lives directly, but if they can save a business in a time of peril, they can save those employees and their families who are expecting a paycheck from the company. It happened just last week to families in London and it happened just four years ago New York; it's best to be safe and to have a plan.
Julie Frieswyk is a sales and marketing associate for IDC Partners.