We live in a digital world now more than ever.  Most of us utilize electronic and technological devices such as smartphones, iPads, laptops, computers, and phone systems on a daily basis for our professional careers.  These devices can be linked and controlled via an internet connection.  However, when these digitals shut down, the potential is high for lost productivity, lost customers, and lost revenue to a business.

Business disruptions can impact companies of any size and in any location.  Therefore, it is critical for companies to minimize the impact.  One simple technology solution is through Business Continuity.

WHAT IS BUSINESS CONTINUITY?

Business Continuity planning Dallas is the process of creating systems of prevention and recovery to deal with potential threats to a company. In addition to prevention, the goal is to enable ongoing operations before and during execution of disaster recovery. Wikipedia.

Although Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery have been used interchangeably, and are equally important, there is a difference between the two.  Business Continuity is a more proactive approach, as it describes how a business can maintain operations during an emergency.  It is about having a plan to deal with difficult events, so your business can continue to function with as little disruption as possible.  Business Continuity looks at the stability of the entire company.  Disaster recovery is reactive as it details how a company recovers after a major disruption.  It focuses on restoring an IT infrastructure and operations after a crisis.  Disaster Recovery is literally just one part of a complete Business Continuity plan.

WHAT SHOULD A BUSINESS CONTINUITY PLAN INCLUDE?

A Business Continuity plan formalizes a company’s IT policies, procedures, and precautions to reduce downtime should the worst-case scenario happen.  Literally, it is risk management in action on a daily basis.  A company is managing potential risks that could damage or jeopardize their business IT.  Risks may include viruses, equipment failure, fire, workplace violence, business crises, economic downturns, pandemics, natural disaster, and human error.

A Business Continuity Plan must be tailored to your specific company.  It must involve assessing leadership, employees, resources, and corporate strategies.  It is paramount for businesses with the help of an IT support company to plan and prepare for events that will halt operations completely, but also ones that have the possibility of adversely impacting services and functions.

A Business Continuity Plan like the one by TeamLogicIT Plano needs to include the following key components:

  • A process, technology, and tools to keep systems running.
  • Data Backup and Recovery including resources that allow for a business to recover quickly in the event of a failure.
  • Procedures to best assure systems remain operational and minimize human and local factors that impact continuity.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF A BUSINESS CONTINUITY PLAN?

  • Provides valuable data – Business Continuity activities produce an enormous amount of inventory data. When a company creates an all-inclusive list of their assets and resources, and how they might be compromised, this information will be convenient and quickly accessible to the business owners, crisis team, and the Managed IT Services Provider when unexpected disasters happen.
  • Analyzes threats – A comprehensive Business Continuity plan forces leaders to review the strengths and weaknesses of their companies from a different perspective with the support of IT consulting. Creating a Business Continuity plan gives a company the opportunity to pinpoint and assess all kinds of risks and threats in order to determine how best to prevent them or alternately, recover.
  • Minimizes the impact – The initial task of Business Continuity planning can seem like a lot of hard work. However, it is clearly an essential part of operations for any business who want to ensure that they have a strategy to maneuver business operations effectively, quickly, and smoothly in order to recover key activities and processes with minimal negative impact due to a serious business disruption.
  • Reduces the risk of financial loss – Among the benefits of Business Continuity planning is the lessening of financial risk. By setting up the correct backup and recovery processes and procedures with Managed IT, a company will mitigate the risk of a breach, power outage, server down, system failure, and data loss. The financial losses associated with such events—even minor ones—can be avoided. However, companies who do not establish or carry out a Business Continuity plan have found that it can be extremely detrimental or even fatal to the business.
  • Preserves credibility – When a business commits and effectively follows through on what they promised, clients, customers, and people within the community will have trust and confidence in that business. It will preserve the company’s credibility and stellar reputation.  It will also preserve its well-designed brand, adding value and want of their services.
  • Meets legal and statutory obligations – Compliance with standards provides proof that the business is functioning responsibly. It maintains contractual requirements from key partners, clients, and customers. There is no disruption to the supply chain and prevents reduction of market share.
  • Peace of mind – Companies who set up and manage a thorough Business Continuity plan inspire client, customer, and community confidence.  It also increases satisfaction with peace of mind that the business, along with technology services, has a plan that will minimize disruption and facilitate recovery in the quickest and smoothest way possible.  Business owners will feel comforted by this fact and sleep better at night knowing everything will be taken care of.
  • Gives a competitive advantage – Some business competitors likely do not have continuity plans while other owners like to think that they can quickly come up with one to work through a crisis. However, the best corporate leaders spend time making plans with computer and network consultants to determine worst case scenarios that hopefully, will never happen. This gives them a competitive advantage for it differentiates them from others and makes them more enticing to potential business partners and customers.
  • Builds confidence – When a company demonstrates a high level of commitment to a Business Continuity plan it builds trust and confidence with clients, customers, and other outside parties one does business with.  It shows that they have put substantial effort into technology solutions, ensuring continued business under difficult circumstances. Ultimately, they will prefer your product and service with confidence, leading to possible increase in demand.

Whether you are addressing computer security or natural disasters, a Business Continuity plan is necessary.  Having a good Managed It Services provider in Dallas and Plano like TeamLogicIT Plano can make all the difference between your business being shut down for days, or to be up and running in hours.  Go to the TeamLogicIT Plano website for more information or gives us a call for help and support.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT BUSINESS CONTINUITY SERVICES

WHAT DOES BUSINESS CONTINUITY MEAN?

Business Continuity is advanced planning and preparation to ensure that a company will have the capability to operate its critical business functions during potential threats and emergency events.

WHAT SHOULD A BUSINESS CONTINUITY PLAN INCLUDE?

A business continuity plan should include a process, technology, and tools to keep systems running.  Data backup and recovery including resources that allow for a business to recover quickly in the event of a failure.  Procedures to best assure systems remain operational and minimize human and local factors that impact continuity.

IS CRISIS MANAGEMENT PART OF A BUSINESS CONTINUITY PLAN?

No. A crisis management plan details steps to be taken to handle the crisis. A business continuity plan lists the steps to be taken to ensure continuity of mission-critical business operations.

WHAT ARE THE STEPS IN THE BUSINESS CONTINUITY PROCESS?

The steps in the business continuity process are assessing risk, doing a business impact analysis, creating a business continuity plan, developing strategy and the plan, and testing and maintenance of the plan.

By on May 6, 2020   /   Technology  
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