| Most people can remember where they were on | | | | ability to operate. Business continuity, part science |
| 11 September 2001 when two planes flew into | | | | and part art, is the process of planning for |
| the World Trace Centre in a massive terrorist | | | | continuity of business operations after such an |
| attack. Similarly, millions of people watched the | | | | event and covers areas including facilities, human |
| unfolding drama of Hurricane Katrina and the | | | | resources, crisis communication planning and IT |
| resulting devastation it caused in New Orleans. | | | | systems. |
| Many other instances of disasters on a massive | | | | A sub-set of business continuity planning is |
| scale are played out all over the world on a | | | | disaster recovery planning, which generally is used |
| regular basis, but in addition to these events that | | | | to refer to keeping computer systems going |
| capture the attention of the world, there are | | | | during a disaster event, or recovery of computer |
| hundreds of small-scale disasters that happen | | | | systems at an alternate location during an event. |
| every day. Buildings burn down, offices are | | | | In order to ensure that our business continuity |
| flooded, and electricity generation or distribution | | | | and disaster recovery plan is effective, it is |
| fails leavings large areas without electricity. | | | | necessary to perform regular testing and updating |
| Beyond the human tragedy caused by the | | | | of our plans. We therefore hold regular disaster |
| large-scale events and the immediate | | | | recovery tests whereby we ensure that we can |
| inconvenience caused by the smaller scale events, | | | | run our IT systems from backup systems that |
| there are further implications that may not be | | | | we have available. |
| obvious at first glance. Small and big businesses | | | | As part of this testing, we require some |
| can be seriously affected when one of these | | | | employees to be involved in the testing to ensure |
| events occur and this can often have long lasting | | | | that the recovered systems are operating |
| consequences | | | | correctly and to verify data. If you are asked to |
| If a companies customers cannot receive their | | | | be involved it is important that you realise that |
| orders on time, or a company is not contactable | | | | this is a critical part of our responsibility, and one |
| or cannot operate for a period of time as a result | | | | that needs to be taken seriously. By ensuring that |
| of one of these incidents, they suffer damage to | | | | our systems can be quickly and effectively |
| their reputation and often lose existing and | | | | recovered, we are protecting our organisation and |
| potentially new customers that they may never | | | | therefore also the job security of our employees. |
| be able to win back. | | | | As a result of the systems testing and the other |
| The statistics in this regard are frightening - a | | | | activities documented in our business continuity |
| very high percentage of companies affected by | | | | document we know that we are well prepared |
| an incident that they are not able to overcome | | | | for an unexpected incident that may one day |
| very rapidly will go out of business within a year. | | | | challenge our ability to keep the business running. |
| As a result, their employees will be out of a job, | | | | The reality is that disasters have always and will |
| shareholders in the organisation will have lost their | | | | always occur. While we may not have been |
| investment and a ripple affect from these events | | | | directly affected by an incident yet, we need to |
| can affect a lot more people than apparent at the | | | | ensure that we plan and prepare for the |
| time of the initial incident. | | | | unexpected for the sake of our customers, our |
| As a result, it is the responsibility of the directors | | | | shareholders and ultimately ourselves as |
| of small and large companies to plan for how they | | | | employees. |
| would overcome an incident that affects their | | | | |