How to Craft a Business Continuity Plan

To run a successful business, a continuity plan is a must. According to the National Archives of Australia, a business continuity plan (BCP) is a documented process that allows the continuation or recovery of essential business activities. It helps in emergencies to minimize downtime and ensure protection from any future incidents.

In this article, we are going to look at what are the key elements of a BCP. We will also discuss why managed service providers can help SMBs craft business continuity plans and how they do it. So let's begin!

What is a Business Continuity Plan?

A business continuity plan (BCP) details the actions required to be taken in case of an emergency. It can also define what happens when something goes wrong at any point during normal operations but will help eventually restore regular functions and processes.

The main purpose of BCPs is to enable businesses to maintain customer satisfaction and generate revenue. It's a well-known fact that after an IT incident, customers switch to competitors. But with a business continuity plan in place, you can limit the time offline and get back on track quickly.

Why do SMBs Need a Business Continuity Plan?

As mentioned above, a business continuity plan is one of the most important elements for any SMB. Here are some of the reasons why you should have one in place:

1. Protects from natural disasters

SMBs are likely to face the risk of disruptions due to natural disasters such as floods, wildfires, or earthquakes. A business continuity plan can help you recover important data and systems before a disaster hits your office. It will also give you the ability to shift operations quickly and easily when needed.

2. Protects from cybercriminal attacks

According to the Verizon DBIR Report, cyberattacks are on the rise. For this reason, many companies have failed due to a lack of proper security measures in place or insufficient resources allocated for IT operations. BCPs are very important in case of a cyberattack. A plan can help you restore your applications and data quickly before taking additional steps to secure the company's infrastructure.

3. Protects your customers

As mentioned above, the main purpose of having a BCP is to ensure that you have everything under control in case something goes wrong. When an issue takes place during normal business hours, it can be very stressful for both employees and customers. A detailed plan will help everyone stay calm when things are at their worst so they can focus on recovering important data and systems.

How Managed Service Providers Can Help SMBs with Business Continuity Plans?

MSPs are the best solution for those businesses looking to create a business continuity plan. Many companies offer BCP as part of their service portfolio since it's an essential element in protecting your company from any future disruptions or cyberattacks. This service can be customized to meet your business needs and budget. Many companies like Telewire provide managed services for businesses.

How to Create a Business Continuity Plan?

Now that you know why SMBs need a BCP and how managed service providers can help, let's look at the elements of your plan.

1. Define roles and responsibilities

2. Define what will be included in your plan

3. Develop a plan for each critical business function

4. Identify recovery requirements

5. Identify your business continuity resources

6. Define the plan testing schedule

7. Develop a crisis communication plan

Now that you've learned the basic elements of your business continuity plan, it's time to move on and write a draft.

Conclusion

In this post, we discussed why SMBs need a business continuity plan and how managed service providers can help you create one. We've also discussed the main elements of your BCP so it's time to write a draft!