When office working was prohibited during the pandemic, it was a big wake-up call to those businesses that didn’t have a plan in place for home working. Having a business continuity strategy and disaster recovery plan in place is vital for your company. This blog is going to look at the difference between the two.
What does business continuity mean?
Business continuity refers to how prepared a company is to maintain its functions in the event of a major disruption or an emergency, with as little downtime as possible.
Potential disasters include:
- Cyber-attack
- Natural disaster
- War
- Terrorist attack
- Sudden staff departure
- Utility outage
- Equipment failure
- Human error
If you need help devising a business continuity plan, you could Google “IT services near me” or you could just come straight to Cloud and More. We offer IT services in Milton Keynes and the surrounding areas, as well as the Bristol region. We will keep your business operating in the event of a disaster or unprecedented incident. We’ll make sure your data is recovered and will consult with you to determine what the best course of action is for your company.
What should a business continuity recovery plan look like?
You need to understand your company’s weaknesses and threats. Decide which functions are essential, develop a plan and then test it out to check its viability. Consider situations that pose the most risk to your company. Are your premises in a flood zone? Do you rely on one supplier solely? Are you too reliant on one employee for key business functions?
Your plan can’t be a one-time thing. It needs to be continually reviewed. Be ready for anything to happen. Below are some examples of backup plans you should consider. You should be able to:
- Relocate the company temporarily
- Have backup contractors and suppliers
- Backup your data
- Redeploy staff
- Work from home
What is disaster recovery?
Disaster recovery and business continuity are both similar but not synonymous. Business continuity keeps the business running during and after a disaster. Disaster recovery identifies the source and fixes it, restoring the data and infrastructure. The disaster recovery plan is more focused. It is designed to save data so that it can be recovered quickly.
Why are business continuity and disaster recovery so important?
Downtime can not only cost you a lot of money but also cost you your reputation. Business continuity needs to be a priority because it can be the difference between surviving as a business or going under. It’s that crucial.
If you live in the Milton Keynes region and you Google “IT services near me”, Cloud and More will show up in your results. We offer IT Services in Milton Keynes and beyond. We can help you devise sound business continuity and disaster recovery plans.
