In today’s constantly
changing and competitive business environment,
access to an enterprises key data and
information resources is more critical than ever
before. This is especially true in highly
regulated environments since banking,
healthcare, etc regulations are now demanding
it. Regardless of enterprise size and type, not
having timely access to key enterprise wide
data, information, and human resources can be
devastating to existing revenue streams,
maintaining current client accounts, or
supporting governmental mandates. Developing an
effective and efficient business contingency
plan ensures informational resources are
available prior, during and following an
enterprise interruption event. There are four
(4) key components to business contingency
planning:
- Business Impact
Analysis & Assessment (BIA)
- Disaster Recovery Plan
(DRP)
- Business Continuity
Plan (BCP-Private, COOP-Public)
- Exercise & Maintenance
(Test)
From a contingency
planning perspective, a DRP ensures the
protection of data back-ups and safe storage of
duplicate information (data and paper) so that
enterprise-critical information cannot be lost
or damaged from an interruption event. Equally
important, a BCP and/or Continuity of Operations
Plan (COOP) ensure the continuous availability
of critical systems, processes and networks. A
BCP/COOP is the operational glue that keeps the
doors to an enterprise functionally open during
system outages, system upgrades, physical moves,
or during batch window processing.
By definition, a
“disaster” is any event that can cause a
significant disruption in operational and/or
computer processing capabilities for a period of
time that affects the operations of an
enterprise. Disasters come in three forms:
natural, human and technical. Examples are:
- Natural-- floods,
tornados, earth quakes, severe storms
(rain/ice/snow)
- Human-- terrorist
activity, electronic security breaches,
civil disorder
- Technical-- power
failure, hardware or software failure,
software virus
Technology Affects BCP/COOP
From a contingency planning
investment perspective, there are three major
areas of technology that increase the need for
an enterprise to invest in business contingency
planning:
- The Internet
- Broadband and storage
- Information
integration
The Internet allows
enterprises to be more geographically dispersed,
virtual in nature – and increasingly mobile. A
multi-located manufacturer, education,
government institution, or healthcare entity
that loses physical or virtual connectivity can
encounter immediate losses in revenue, public
scrutiny, disgruntled clientele and/or the
inability to communicate with key personnel.
Broadband and storage is simply the amount of
information transferred and/or stored at any
single point in time. In less than ten years,
broadband and storage requirements have
increased by two orders of magnitude! The loss
of data stores today has a greater impact on the
ability to maintain revenue streams and/or
support governmental mandates. Information
integration is the ability for enterprises to
purchase business related software that
simultaneously touches multiple revenue and/or
legal dependent points. For example, supporting
multiple essential functions upon an enterprise
wide software application solution increases the
magnitude of vital data loss. Each of these
technology forces demands a greater degree of
information availability and enhanced awareness
of disaster and BCP/COOP planning.
Continuity Planning Is Key
Traditionally, enterprise
managers and owners collective with their IT
staff have assumed that backing up electronic
files and records guarantees ongoing information
availability. Depending upon physical location,
type of technology used, frequency, and level of
data integrity this process falls short of
ensuring the continuation of mission critical
operations.
To make certain that
mission- critical systems, networks and business
processes are always available, every enterprise
should have an active or “live” BCP/COOP plan in
place. An effective BCP/COOP plan includes the
following objectives:
- Continuation of
enterprise operations
- Identifying and
streamlining recovery processes
- Aligning vital
enterprise technologies with recovery
processes
- Minimizing immediate
technological damage or loss
- Minimizing financial
and/or legal loss
- Reducing downtime
The cornerstone of a BCP/COOP
plan is what’s known as a Business Impact
Analysis, or BIA. The BIA includes an
enterprise and technology audit, enterprise risk
analysis and assessment. The purpose of the BIA
is to identify and assess the magnitude of risk
against the enterprises financial and/or legal
losses incurred due to an enterprise
interruption event. Finalizing a BIA is
critical when developing the enterprise’s risk
mitigation strategy and roadmap while ensuring
an effective and working continuity plan.
A vast number of
enterprise managers, owners and executives today
are either minimally prepared, have not reviewed
their current plan for four to five years, are
too busy to develop a plan, are short on human
resources, or simply don’t know how or where to
begin. The need for continuity planning and
support will continue to intensify as private
and public enterprise’s needs become more
demanding. New and emerging technologies,
government regulation, customer and employee
demands will further drive this need.
Compared
to the alternative, developing and maintaining a
BCP/COOP plan is a financially sound and time
efficient choice. It may even be a regulatory
requirement! Uncertain where to begin? Contact
Visage Solutions LLC at
info@visagesolutions.com or 919-882-2056.
