The 8th edition of the IT Trends report (NOVIPRO Group/Leger), reveals a slight increase in the number of business continuity plans (BCPs) established in Canadian companies: in one year, we have gone from 54% to 57% − an increase of 3%.
In this three-part series of articles, understand the critical importance of developing a business continuity plan (BCP) for your organization. We will also support you in building the most robust BCP possible:
- The first article in this series outlines the essential elements for developing a BCP
- This second article guides you through the development of a robust BCP based on a free BCP checklist available for download
- The third and final article will cover the tests required for a fully functional plan
Browse our series of articles on BCP
First article: the basics of BCP
Last article: which tests to perform for a reliable BCP?
How to Develop Your Business Continuity Plan?
NOVIPRO offers a precise roadmap for developing a BCP that considers all risks and necessary plans. This methodology, based on that of the Disaster Recovery Institute International (DRII), is divided into 3 sections:
I. Comprehensive Analysis: Operational Risks, Business Impacts, and Continuity Strategies
According to Roger Ouellet, Director of Security Practice at NOVIPRO:
"The most important thing is to involve all business units of the company in order to initiate a thorough discussion with them."
This discussion will then allow you to better understand the needs of all units and their use of IT.
- Identify risks, threats, and vulnerabilities compromising your operations.
- Conduct a Business Impact Analysis (BIA) by assessing, among other things, financial, operational, and reputational consequences.
- Identify strategies and countermeasures for business continuity, focusing on technology and recovery measures.
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II. Proactive Preparation: Action Plans for Security, Business Continuity, and Employee Awareness
It would be unrealistic to say it is possible to prepare for every type of incident. Thus, the first essential question is to determine which incidents you want to anticipate. Do you prefer to prepare for potential ransomware attacks, identity thefts, or data center outages?
After answering this initial question, your team will embark on preparing three different plans:
- Develop an incident response plan to ensure adequate preparation and coordination to respond to any informational incident.
- Establish a business continuity plan to reduce recovery time and minimize operational consequences and their overall impacts on your company. This plan is drafted with the assistance of each business unit of the company, which must answer the following question: "How would you continue your operations without IT?"
- Implement a business continuity plan training program.
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III. Comprehensive Preparation: Exercises, Audits, Communication, and Coordination with External Stakeholders
- Establish a plan for exercises, testing, maintenance, and auditing.
- Prepare a crisis communication plan for fast and effective communications.
- Draft policies and procedures for external partners, in accordance with requirements.
It is important to note that the support of top management is imperative for the mandate, closely followed by the essential engagement of each business unit. It is crucial to understand each unit's specific needs, guiding them through thorough reflection.
In summary
There is still work to be done regarding BCP awareness. In 2023, business still underestimated the obvious risks for businesses and consumers as we saw from the IT Trends statistics. Beyond data preservation, a well-designed BCP has become essential in a world facing constant threats.
3 key points to remember:
- It is crucial that each business unit is involved in the thorough reflection process to align needs with IT.
- The mandate for a BCP must come from top management to define the company's strategic priorities.
- Your company must be proactive in preparing its specific action plans and in raising awareness among its employees. This includes exercises, audits, and effective communication.
Anticipate, react, thrive – your operational resilience will keep you out of the headlines.
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