Why Business Continuity Fails

Why business continuity plans fail

By EDITOR | Published: OCTOBER 28, 2020

Even the best managed IT services provider (MSP) can overlook certain business continuity plan (BCP) details. This is why businesses should always be on the lookout for the following pitfalls of BCP to ensure that the plan works as it should.

Over-optimistic testing

The initial testing attempt is usually the most important, because it’s when MSPs can pinpoint potential pain points in the recovery plan. However, they usually test the system in full, instead of in phases. This can cause MSPs to overlook specific points, with too many factors overwhelming them all at the same time.

Insufficient remote user licenses

MSPs give remote user licenses to businesses so that employees can access a remote desktop software when they need to, like when a disaster strikes. However, a provider may only have a limited number of licenses. In some cases, more employees will need access to the remote desktop software than a provider’s license can allow.

Lost digital IDs

When a disaster strikes, employees will usually need their digital IDs so they can log in to the MSP’s remote system while the office system is being restored. However, digital IDs are not automatically saved when a desktop is backed up. So when an employee uses their “ready and restored” desktop, they are unable to access the system with their previous digital ID.

Absence of a communications strategy

MSPs often use email to notify and communicate with business owners and their employees when a disaster happens. However, this form of communication may not always be reliable in certain cases, such as during spam intrusions.

Instead, you can use emergency communication applications such as AlertMedia or Everbridge. These programs automate necessary actions such as sending out mass notifications, sharing information, and mobilizing teams to prevent operational disruptions, so your MSP can easily notify you in case of any disaster.

Backups that require labored validation

After a system has been restored, IT technicians and business owners need to check whether the restoration is thorough and complete. This becomes an arduous task when the log reports are not easy to compare. This usually happens when MSPs utilize backup applications that don’t come with their own log modules and have to be acquired separately.

These are just some reasons why business continuity plans fail. While you should trust that your MSPs will secure your systems, it is important for business owners to be involved with any process that pertains to your IT infrastructure. Just because you believe something works doesn’t necessarily mean that it actually does. If you have questions regarding your business continuity plan, get in touch with our experts today.This entry was posted in Business, General Articles C

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How to Make an IT Disaster Recovery Plan

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How to Make an IT Disaster Recovery Plan

Today it is nearly impossible to do business without modern technology. It has become ingrained in every industry, from how work orders are created, to how projects are managed. With this reliance on technology though comes the danger of jeopardizing your business in the event of an IT disaster. How do you combat this danger? By creating an IT disaster recovery plan.

Create a List of Possible Threats

Before you can begin to plan how to get through an IT disaster, sit down and write out a list of possible threats. Start with very realistic threats and work your way out to less common scenarios. For your IT disaster recovery plan, focus on those scenarios that are a threat to your IT infrastructure. These sort of threats are everything from cyber attacks, to system failures, to even floods. You will likely see some overlap in the types of threats you imagine, but create a long list regardless. It pays to be thorough.

Plan Reactions to These Threats

Now that you’ve got your list of threats to your IT infrastructure, go through each scenario and plan how you and your business would react. What steps would you need to take to stop the threat if possible? How would you recover any lost data? What role would certain employees need to play? How would you continue business as usual with customers, if possible?

As you plan these reactions you can begin to narrow threats down into similar categories with similar solutions. If a fire and a flood both have the same steps to recovery, combine the plans.

Take Necessary Steps to Prepare for These Threats

When running through your plan to react to these IT threats, you have probably noticed a few gaps in your own IT infrastructure. For example, if you have no data backup system in place, you’ve probably realized how out of luck you would be if you lost of your data due to a system failure. Make a plan to take the necessary steps now to make your IT disaster recovery as painless as possible. The more time you put into preparing for disaster, the less it will cost you when the time comes.

Brief Employees

Preparing your IT recovery strategy will involve the cooperation of many moving parts – employees included. You should not only work with key employees in developing your plan, but you also need to brief everyone on what steps to take in each given scenario. The sales team should know how to continue business, customer service should know how to work with affected customers, and of course, IT personnel should know what role they play in the recovery plan.

Run Drills

How will you know your recovery plan works? Run a few drills to look for missing pieces of the plan and to ensure every employee knows their part. Practicing getting through these “disasters” will be both team building and educational.

IT Disaster Recovery Plan

You don’t have to go this road alone! An IT partner can be a lifesaver in the event of a disaster. Work with an IT provider to create back-ups of your business data, set up an off-site server, and put a plan in place for data recovery. Not only are IT providers a great help with day to day functions, but they can set you up to survive anything on your list of possible disasters.

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Business Continuity & Disaster Recovery Plans – Getting Started

Business Continuity & Disaster Recovery Plans

Business owners, by nature, tend to be optimists. They believe that sales will grow, the economy will get better, and disasters will never happen to them. The stark reality is though, disasters can happen to anyone. The businesses in New Orleans never thought Katrina would be as bad as it was, and the companies with offices in the World Trade Center would have never foreseen 9/11. On a less serious scale, you also never expect a water main to break or for faulty wiring to cause a fire. The truth is that disasters happen, and every company needs a Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Plan. The way that businesses survive these disasters are by creating contingency plans when they never expect to have to use them.

What is a Business Continuity Plan?

A business continuity plan is a strategy for having minimal to no down time should a disaster happen. For many industries, it’s vital to be able to continue your work even if your offices are inaccessible, your computers are lost, and your main form of communication is down.

& What is a Disaster Recovery Plan?

Once your company survives the disastrous event, how will you recover? What is the plan for where you would work, who would be in charge should something happen to the CEO, and how would you adjust to any lasting effects of the disaster? A disaster recovery plan would address all of this.

The Basics of a Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Plan

The details of each company’s Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Plan can vary greatly, but many of the basic components are universal. Your plan should include how your employees will communicate with you and with each other, how you will continue to operate, and what the chain of command is. Depending on your business, this might also include how your distribution chain will continue to function, who will maintain the servers, or how you would communicate with clients. Preparing all of this when a disaster is nowhere in sight will leave you in a good position, should the unexpected happen to you.

Communication

Having 2 or 3 means of communication, should your primary method be down, is the most important part of a business continuity and disaster recovery plan. Being able to get in touch with coworkers and employees will not only be vital to continuing to operate, but also in making sure everyone is okay. Keep the contact information of everyone for a few different methods – online, mobile phone, and land line, just to name a few.

Functionality

What sort of disasters will you continue to operate in, and what sort would put everything on hold? The answer to this question depends on how vital a service you provide and what sort of supplies or distribution channels you reply on.

Do you have your computer network backed up, and are employees able to access their files on personal devices? Without having a backup solution, your recovery phase will be very difficult. In turn, without cloud based computing, it will be nearly impossible to maintain operations should your office be inaccessible. Make it possible for employees to be able to operate without their normal supplies.

Chain of Command

As part of your Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Plan, include a chain of command should anything happen to the owner or CEO in a disaster. It is of course unlikely to suffer a disaster that could cause the loss of your company’s leadership, but always plan for the worst when putting together a plan. It is the best way to ensure business continuity.

Implementation – Drills & Training

Implementation includes running drills and ensuring employees at all levels are familiar with their part in the plan. Do cross-training of essential tasks and address any holes that are revealed in the drills you run. Encourage employees to take these drills seriously to be able to practice operating under the stress of a disaster.

Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Plan

Disasters do not discriminate based on the size of your business or how prepared you are. As the adage goes, hope for the best but prepare for the worst. Set aside time and man-power to put together a Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Plan for multiple scenarios. Being able to thrive in a disastrous scenario could be a defining moment for your company.

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