{"id":50491,"date":"2014-02-19T09:34:13","date_gmt":"2014-02-19T14:34:13","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ict-pulse.com\/?p=50491"},"modified":"2014-02-19T11:03:31","modified_gmt":"2014-02-19T16:03:31","slug":"5-critical-questions-preparing-business-continuity-plan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ict-pulse.com\/2014\/02\/5-critical-questions-preparing-business-continuity-plan\/","title":{"rendered":"5 critical questions to ask when preparing a business continuity plan"},"content":{"rendered":"
Business continuity plans have become an essential requirement for organisations, and where there is an even greater reliance on IT\/ICT, it is critical to minimise downtime and disruption to the organisation, its employees and customers.<\/em><\/p>\n For countries that are prone to natural disasters, business continuity in frequently considered primarily in that context, for example, \u201chow to recover in the aftermath of a hurricane?\u201d However, business continuity, especially IT\/ICT business continuity, is a critical element in today\u2019s environment, which organisations can no longer overlook. It is not only following a major disaster such systems are appropriate, they are essential to minimise the effects of a broad range of disruptions and to ensure that business operations are maintained within acceptable limits<\/p>\n Increasingly, organisations, their employees and customers are relying on technology, IT and ICT for seamless, efficient and effective operations, which they cannot afford to have malfunction, period. However, developing a business continuity plan (even for an IT\/ICT department) can be an involved process, and may be a bit overwhelming to those charged with spearheading its preparation. As a starting point, this post outlines five critical questions that should be answered by an organisation (or an IT\/ICT department) to improve its understanding of the impact of disruptive incidents, and provide essential inputs for the discussions and efforts required to produce the final plan.<\/p>\n Business continuity is a well-developed concept for which a number of internationally accepted standards have been developed. One of the most widely accepted is that of the International Standards Organisation (ISO 22301:2012), which defines business continuity as,<\/p>\n \u2026 the capability of the organization to continue delivery of products or services at acceptable predefined levels following a disruptive incident…\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n (Source: Business Continuity Institute<\/a>)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n By extension, business continuity management encompasses<\/p>\nDefinition and context<\/h3>\n