5…4…3…2…1…no, that’s not the countdown from Mission Control, but it very well could be. Companies today face an unprecedented number of potential exposures and they must be armed and ready for the punch.

Having a Business Continuity plan in place, especially if you are a B2B provider (like we are), to help mitigate those risks is more than smart business; it’s the right thing to do to promote corporate resilience in the face of potential disruptions to the business,

A business continuity plan should include executive succession planning, emergency preparedness and disaster recovery. This will ensure your company has critical back up and resiliency in the hours, and days, after a threat.

Here we offer up a few reminders as to why a plan should be part of your business’ master plan:

  1. It’s about the business – Businesses should look beyond its service portfolio and communicate the plan to clients. Chief among these is having the right technology and security systems in place to protect both physical and intellectual property
  2. It’s about planning and practice – A plan is only helpful if it works. We’ve got ours on repeat, especially now that hurricane season has started. A pre-defined business continuity plan maximizes the chance of a successful recovery by eliminating hasty decision-making under stressful conditions.
  3. It’s knowing who’s on first – and knowing what’s on second (noooo, it’s not the Abbott + Costello shtick; there’s nothing funny about business continuity). Having clearly defined roles help bring a daunting task down to size.
  4. It’s about reflecting your company's culture – Clients demand uninterrupted access to critical data. Having safeguards in place, and testing them each year to make sure they are effective and flexible, is the cost of doing business in today’s on-demand marketplace.
  5. It’s more than technology – Along with having data colocation, businesses should consider having other details in their continuity plan for facilities, equipment and inventory.

So that’s it in a nutshell. Dare we suggest that if you keep these tips in mind when planning your plan, you’ll be business-continuity-game-strong when the need arises…and we sure hope it doesn’t.

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