Business Continuity Planning

Organizations desire to remain productive and safe from harm and down time caused from events or disasters.  However, change in personnel, loss of information or unsafe work environments can cause very successful organizations to fail.  Business Continuity Planning (also called disaster recovery planning or contingency plans) bridges the gap an event or disaster creates between normal operations and the interruption or total shutdown of operations. The purpose of the Business Continuity Plan is to prevent or minimize the impact of any unexpected occurrence to any part of the organization.

The suspect of a biological agent can cause a large geographic area to be impacted and prevent any access to the organization’s facilities for weeks and months. Planning for a “worse case scenario” puts the organization in a position to respond to disasters when they occur. Relocation of offices and employees, information technology, data centers and the notification of employees, customers and authorities are only a few of the areas that we address in the Business Continuity Plan.

All types of insurance can be purchased to pay a limited amount of the cost associated with the recovery from an emergency; however, most organizations do not plan and prepare for the operational needs that insurance does not cover.  It is a good thing to have insurance to replace a damaged computer, but the insurance and the new computer are useless unless you are able to replace the data that was lost forever. Some reasons for contacting us about Business Continuity Planning include the following:

  • Minimize the impact of leadership changes
  • Provide for the security and safety of employees and customers.
  • Protect the economic wellbeing of all employees and the organization.
  • Provide an emergency operational plan for the organization.
  • Minimize the risk of delay in setting up an alternate business location.
  • Implement desktop testing of the Business Continuity Plan.
  • Provide instructions to be followed during a response to an event or disaster.
  • Provide for continuation of services to customers.
  • Protect investments and interest.
  • Meet regulatory requirements.
  • Recover as quickly and successfully from an event or disaster.
  • Receive positive media coverage as a result of advanced planning.

Below is a partial list of possible disasters that might impact your organization. Check the ones that your current Business Continuity Plan covers:

  • Acts of Terrorism
  • Biological Attack
  • Civil Disturbance
  • Communications Failure
  • Denied Access
  • Earthquake
  • Embezzlement
  • Environmental Problems
  • Equipment Failure                       
  • Explosion
  • Extended Power Outage           
  • Fire                                                
  • Flooding                                   
  • Governmental Regulatory Problems
  • Hardware Failure
  • Hazardous Materials Incident
  • Hostile Takeovers
  • Hurricanes
  • Industrial Accidents
  • Investor Relations
  • Loss of Key Supplier or Customer
  • Network Failure                       
  • Product Recalls
  • Proxy Fights
  • Radiological Accident
  • Rumors/Media Leaks
  • Software Virus
  • Tornados
  • Transportation Accidents
  • Union Problems/Strikes
  • Water Pipe Breakage
  • Wind Storms