Business Continuity Planning and Management

Introduction

Are you completely confident in your organisation’s ability to continue operating despite a major interruption? Loss of IT is the most common interruption suffered by organisations, regardless of size or sector, but how would you fare with other problems, such as:

• Severe weather
• Pandemic flu or other disease outbreaks
• Terrorist attacks on critical infrastructure or crowded places
• Flooding
• Fraud
• Fire
• Theft
• Transport system failure
• Major industrial accident
• Any other threat particularly relevant to your organisation?

Objectives

By the time you leave this course you will have a firm grasp of:

• ‘Business continuity’ versus ‘Disaster recovery’
• How to identify the risks which affect continuity of business – and how to mitigate them
• The range of disasters which can seriously affect business
• The importance of all employees playing a part
• The need for awareness training for all employees
• How to prepare and review a plan
• The importance of communication and call trees

Course outline

What is business continuity?

• Why plan for business continuity?

“Disaster recovery” or “business continuity”?

• That is the question!
• Some statistics to get you thinking
• Putting risks in perspective

When do “risk events / incidents” happen?

• Rare or unusual events
• Common events
• Weather, theft and vandalism
• Some things we might forget
• Current issues affecting us all

The board / executive (essential knowledge for all employee levels)

• Responsibility and accountability
• Adherence to legislative and regulatory requirements
• Policies
• Delegation and supervision
• Insurance

Register of risks and events

• Details to be included
• Benefits / rewards / cost savings for your organisation

Business impact analysis

• A common sense approach
• How to collect data
• Critical scoring example (red / green / amber)
• Example(s) of BIA spreadsheet(s)

Departmental implications

• HR
• IT
• Insurance
• Others

Communication

• Call tree(s) and examples
• Contractors and suppliers

The business continuity plan

• How it all fits together
• How to take it forward - review / update / training
• Emergency pack