From human error to cyber attacks and even natural disasters, the range of dangers to the average company’s operations is almost endless. That’s why it’s crucial to have a set of contingencies in place to guard against the risks of an expensive operational outage.
Our specialists pinpoint the most likely threats and fail-points within your organization and create an in-depth Business Continuity Plan (BCP) that will prepare and safeguard your organization.
Unlike a Disaster Recovery Plan, which deals with the steps required to bring back your organization following a catastrophic event, Business Continuity Planning (BCP) provides a set of measures to keep your organization operating when things go wrong.
A BCP establishes the “Minimum Operational Level” at which your organization can be kept functioning under adverse conditions. It lays out your organization’s crucial components and processes, and, more importantly, it deals with problems at the logistical level.
In September 2018 a Baltimore-based electronic parts manufacturer was brought to a grinding halt by a single event, 8,500 miles away.
In the aftermath of Typhoon Mangkhut, one of the costliest in the Philippines’ history, this company discovered that one crucial component in its manufacturing process was being produced in Cebu City. Severely damaged by the typhoon, the factory closed and remained shut for several months. Baltimore, in possession of only limited reserves, failed to source an alternative producer before its stocks were depleted. The resultant production outage almost caused the company to fail and provided an object lesson for anyone unsure about whether they need a Business Continuity Plan.
They are neither complicated nor lengthy. They are concise and to the point. For the above case, the entry should have included information about the potential breakpoint, a list of alternative sources for the required specialist component, and instructions to raise stock levels so a short-term breakdown in procurement could be sustained without interrupting production.
By having this type of information readily available, any unforeseen break in the supply chain can be dealt with quickly and effectively, without the need to frantically search for an alternative product source, while your own inadequate stocks of the component in question are diminishing by the minute.
The exact questions to be answered by your own BCP depend on the nature of your organization, your premises, geographic location, and a number of other factors. One thing, however, is certain, without a comprehensive Business Continuity Plan in place, your company is running excessive and unnecessary risks that our specialist services can mitigate.
Sources:
The purpose of a Business Continuity Plan (BCP) is to insure the organization is able to continue operations during adverse events. Put simply, it addresses the question: “What do we have to do to keep running?”
The purpose of a Disaster Recovery Plan (DRP) is to outline the steps required to recover from an adverse event. Put simply, it addresses the question: “How do we recover if something stops us running?”
Any element of your business process that, if it breaks, can bring down your entire operation, is a Single Point of Failure. Such choke points can frequently become business killers, if they are not mitigated. Find out more...
