The Time to Think About Business Continuity Is Now

Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery (BCDR) planning is often seen as something only large corporations do. But in reality, every business, regardless of size, needs a plan. Disasters don’t discriminate by revenue, and in fact, smaller businesses are more at risk to face irreperable losses in the face of an incident¹.

What Is BCDR?

Business Continuity (BC) ensures that critical business functions continue to operate during and after a disaster. Disaster Recovery (DR), on the other hand, focuses on restoring IT systems and data access. Together, they provide a framework to keep your business resilient in the face of disruption.

Why You Need a BCDR Plan

Imagine you come in one day and your computer systems are down. Accounting or email, OneDrive or that one system that has all your data on it or all of the above are inaccessible for one reason or another. Could your business continue operations the next day? The truth is, without a BCDR plan, many small businesses never recover from major disruptions¹. In fact, an estimated 60% of small businesses close within six months of a major disaster¹. And of these disasters, cyber security incidents are among the top perp.

Planning ahead ensures you know what to do, who’s responsible, and how fast you can resume operations.

Components of a Good BCDR Plan

While every plan should be tailored to your specific business needs, here are the foundational components:

• Business Impact Analysis (BIA): Identify your critical business functions and the impact of their disruption. Do you use one software to run your business? Do you have one system that has all your data?
• Risk Assessment: Identify potential risks to your business—natural disasters, cyber threats, power outages, etc. Maybe that one system is on old hardware, your software doesn’t have a backup plan.
• Recovery Objectives: Define your Recovery Time Objective (RTO) and Recovery Point Objective (RPO) to determine acceptable downtime and data loss. How much do you lose as these systems are down? What is “Acceptable” losses in this scenario?
• Communication Plan: Ensure you have a clear plan to communicate with employees, clients, and vendors. How do you tell your customers you are facing an emergency? How do you maintain their trust in the face of uncertainty?
• Backup Strategy: Have offsite and redundant backups for all critical systems and data. The primary risk is your data right? So you best keep it safe with a robust backup plan.
• Alternative Workspace or Remote Operations: Can your team continue working if your primary location is inaccessible? Say your badging system is out of commission, or your location is hit by a flood. How do you keep critical operations running safely?
• Testing and Training: A plan only works if your team knows how to follow it. Regular drills are key. It’s too late to find out you don’t know the password to the backup system when an emergeny hits.

Practice Makes Prepared

BCDR plans shouldn’t live in a binder gathering dust. Conduct regular tabletop exercises and simulations to identify gaps and reinforce responsibilities. Ensure that all key personnel are aware of their roles, and revisit your plan annually—or whenever your business undergoes a significant change.

Final Thoughts

Disasters aren’t always dramatic. A failed hard drive, ransomware attack, or utility outage can be just as disruptive as a hurricane. By preparing now, you can ensure that your business isn’t scrambling during a crisis but responding with confidence.

Start small, not every plan has to be perfect, but any plan will help you move confidently forward and keep one eye to the future!