The purpose of a business continuity policy (BCP) is to ensure normal operations during and after incidents that could potentially destroy or disrupt the firm's activities. This could be anything from natural disasters to supply chain breakdowns or the loss of key employees. Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery (BCDR or BC/DR) is a well defined process.
This is a vital element of risk management for every company, but the scope of the process can vary depending on the firm's size and what it does. For instance, manufacturers should allow every division to come up with its own BCP. But an office or a leader has to be appointed to oversee the process and ensure compliance for the whole company.
The firm's IT division will have to come up with both their own BCP and a company-wide DRP. This is to ensure that they can be back online after a major incident. They have to specify that the division retains its capability to shift to backup servers.
It may also specify that they can implement new web, email and other essential servers from scratch if required. This has to be stated alongside the fact that the company is able to use backups to restore lost data and lay out new LANs or local area networks. It goes without saying that the divisional head has to go through all the eventualities and put together a plan that ensures the company network remains online come what may.
Such a complicated assignment and its implementation are too critical to be just an internal divisional matter. The BCP is usually drafted according to regional and/or industry standards. It has to get approval within the division and then the company-wide BCP leader or office will be doing compliance checks.
For those new to BC/DR implementation, there are standard BCP templates available that can be used for reference or framework. Some are free and can be downloaded. Those who need customized and comprehensive BC/DR plans may get help from experts or consultants.
While a business continuity policy and disaster recovery plan are not the same thing, it is acknowledged that one cannot be performed in isolation from the other. That is why the term BC/DR has been coined with the slash. It requires collaboration between employees and departments while still compartmentalizing the process to allow each division to be responsible for their own continuity plans.
This is a vital element of risk management for every company, but the scope of the process can vary depending on the firm's size and what it does. For instance, manufacturers should allow every division to come up with its own BCP. But an office or a leader has to be appointed to oversee the process and ensure compliance for the whole company.
The firm's IT division will have to come up with both their own BCP and a company-wide DRP. This is to ensure that they can be back online after a major incident. They have to specify that the division retains its capability to shift to backup servers.
It may also specify that they can implement new web, email and other essential servers from scratch if required. This has to be stated alongside the fact that the company is able to use backups to restore lost data and lay out new LANs or local area networks. It goes without saying that the divisional head has to go through all the eventualities and put together a plan that ensures the company network remains online come what may.
Such a complicated assignment and its implementation are too critical to be just an internal divisional matter. The BCP is usually drafted according to regional and/or industry standards. It has to get approval within the division and then the company-wide BCP leader or office will be doing compliance checks.
For those new to BC/DR implementation, there are standard BCP templates available that can be used for reference or framework. Some are free and can be downloaded. Those who need customized and comprehensive BC/DR plans may get help from experts or consultants.
While a business continuity policy and disaster recovery plan are not the same thing, it is acknowledged that one cannot be performed in isolation from the other. That is why the term BC/DR has been coined with the slash. It requires collaboration between employees and departments while still compartmentalizing the process to allow each division to be responsible for their own continuity plans.
About the Author:
Sebastian Cork specializes in information evaluonions, you should check out his latest internet site on Business Continuity Planning, where he offers Business Continuity Policy ideas
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