FEATURE : BUSINESS CONTINUITY

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Kevin Krige , Head of Datacentre and Cloud Service , BT in Africa , says the list of potential threats to businesses continues to grow .

Business continuity planning and disaster recovery ( BCP / DR ) capabilities are therefore more relevant now than ever before , as businesses contend to become more resilient and agile in an increasingly uncertain world . In fact , governance and regulatory requirements , compliance against global best practice standards , supply chain concerns and the potential impact on revenue , brand and reputation , have all helped move business continuity higher on the boardroom agenda . However , businesses are also beginning to realise that their existing plans and procedures may no longer be adequate in light of these new threats .

Revamping business continuity

Spurred by business needs – to protect , prevent , be resilient , agile and survive – business continuity capabilities allow the mission critical functions of the business to continue operating during and after a disruptive event .

However , having the right capabilities in place before a disruptive event does require some predictive planning ; and developing or revamping a business continuity strategy can therefore be a complex undertaking .

At the very least , this process must involve assessing the business ’ current resilience and recovery capabilities against recognised industry best practice and relevant standards . It cannot be overstated that being under prepared can quickly result in an unacceptable impact on an organisation . As such , it is advisable to undertake a Business Impact Analysis ( BIA ) to better understand the business demands in relation to Recovery Time Objectives ( RTO ) and Recovery Point Objectives ( RPO ). This process will also provide keen insights into the Business Continuity Risk Assessment .

Effective business continuity management requires a careful understanding of the appropriate people , process , technology , information and supplies in delivering mission critical activities . As often it is the inability to thoroughly assess these factors and identify weaknesses that leads to poor management of disruption , something that can escalate to threaten the operations of the business .

By analysing every facet and identifying areas for improvement , a business will be better placed to implement strategic changes – where necessary – that will ultimately improve the resilience of the business ’ infrastructure and its processes , and at the same time help maximise on

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