Business Continuity
- Disaster Types
- Business Continuity Plan
- Components of a Business Continuity Plan
- Risk Assessment
- Business Impact Analysis BIA
- Emergency Response Plan
- Crisis Management Plan
- Backup and Recovery Strategies
- Alternate Site and Facilities
- Resource and Personnel Management
- Training and Awareness Programs
- Supplier and Vendor Relationships
- Testing and Exercising
- Documentation and Reporting
- Continuous Improvement
- How often should an organization test its business continuity plan?
- Business Continuity in Action
- Business Continuity versus Disaster Recovery
Disaster Types
Business Continuity Plan
A Business Continuity Plan (BCP) is a pre-determined set of instructions describing how the mission/business processes of an organization will be sustained during and after a significant disruption.
Key elements involve:
- Phone trees for multiple contact methods.
- Systematic use of procedures and checklists for assigning responsibilities.
- Prompt activation with involvement from management and authorized individuals.
- Maintenance of critical contact numbers for various entities.
- Access to designated numbers and military-grade networks during severe cyberattacks or major disruptions.
A Business Continuity Plan (BCP) helps the organization minimize downtime and recover from incidents efficiently.
Components of a Business Continuity Plan
Business continuity planning (BCP) involves proactively developing procedures to restore operations post-disaster. It’s a collaborative effort across the organization to ensure comprehensive coverage.
Key Components:
- Risk Assessment
- Business Impact Analysis BIA
- Emergency Response Plan
- Crisis Management Plan
- Backup and Recovery Strategies
- Alternate Site and Facilities
- Resource and Personnel Management
- Training and Awareness Programs
- Supplier and Vendor Relationships
- Testing and Exercising
- Documentation and Reporting
- Continuous Improvement
Risk Assessment
Identify potential threats and vulnerabilities.
- Assess the impact of disruptions on business operations.
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When assessing risks that considers tangible and intangible assets, the recommended approach is a combination of:
- Quantitative risk assessment - to calculate the potential financial loss if a critical server fails
- Qualitative risk assessment - to understand the impact on the organization’s reputation.
Business Impact Analysis (BIA)
Prioritize mission-critical processes:
- Determine critical business functions, processes, and their dependencies.
- Quantify the impact of disruptions on these functions.
- Helps prioritize recovery efforts and allocate resources effectively.
Assess risks:
- Identify sensitive data
- Identify single points of failure
Business Impact:
- Fines
- Loss of contracts
- Reputation Loss
- Data Loss
- Breach notification
- Escalation requirements
- Data exfiltration
Failed Component Impact:
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Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF)
- Average time a system or component operates without failure
- Calculated by dividing the total operational time by the number of failures over a given period.
- Higher MTBF values indicate greater reliability
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Mean Time To Failure (MTTF)
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Average time a non-repairable system or component operates before it permanently fails.
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Assess the expected lifespan or reliability of products
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Calculated by dividing the total operational time by the number of failures
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Applies to non-repairable components
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Mean Time To Repair (MTTR)
- Measures the average time required to repair a failed system or component.
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Calculated by dividing the total repair time by the number of repair events within a specific period.
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Used to evaluate maintenance efficiency and system reliability,
- Lower MTTR = faster repair times.
Locating Critical Sources:
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Data discovery and classifications
- Where is our sensitive data?
- On-premise or in the cloud?
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Privacy Threshold Assessment (PTA)
- First step, determine nature of sensitive data
- Understand first, before taking steps to protect the data
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Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA)
- If exfiltrated or data fell to wrong hands
- Determine impact and how to respond+
Recovery Point Objective
- Maximum amount of data loss that is acceptable during a disruption, usually expressed in time (e.g., 4 hours).
- Related to backup and data replication strategies
- Backups ensure critical data can be restored without exceeding the acceptable loss.
Recovery Time Objective
- Maximum amount of time tolerable for system recovery after a disruption or failure.
- Helps determine the urgency and resources needed to restore operations within a timeframe.
Emergency Response Plan
- Define procedures for immediate response to crises.
- Outline roles and responsibilities during emergencies.
Crisis Management Plan
- Ensures that decision-making is streamlined and effective during high-stress situations.
- Involves the establishment of a command structure and responsibilities during a crisis
- Establish communication protocols for internal and external stakeholders.
Backup and Recovery Strategies
- Implement data backup systems and offsite storage.
- Develop recovery strategies for IT systems and infrastructure.
Alternate Site and Facilities
- Identify alternate locations for business operations.
- Ensure availability of necessary facilities during disruptions.
Resource and Personnel Management
- Plan for workforce continuity and remote work.
- Secure necessary resources for business recovery.
Training and Awareness Programs
- Conduct regular drills and training sessions for employees.
- Raise awareness about BCP protocols and procedures.
Supplier and Vendor Relationships
- Assess the continuity plans of key suppliers and vendors.
- Develop contingency plans for supply chain disruptions.
Testing and Exercising
- Regularly test the effectiveness of the BCP.
- Conduct simulated Business Continuity (BC) exercises to validate response strategies.
Documentation and Reporting
- Maintain up-to-date documentation of the BCP.
- Establish reporting mechanisms for incidents and recovery progress.
Continuous Improvement
- Review and update the BCP periodically.
- Incorporate lessons learned from real incidents or exercises.
Using headings helps to organize and highlight each component for better readability.
In summary:
- List of BCP team members with multiple contact methods
- Immediate response procedures and checklists
- Notification systems and call trees
- Guidance for management, including designated authority
- Activation criteria and timelines
- Contact numbers for critical supply chain members
How often should an organization test its business continuity plan?
Routinely. Each individual organization must determine how often to test its BCP, but it should be tested at predefined intervals as well as when significant changes happen within the business environment.
Business Continuity in Action
What does business continuity look like in action?
Imagine that the billing department of a company suffers a complete loss in a fire. A Business Impact Analysis (BIA) was performed four months ago and identified the functions of the billing department as very important to the company, but not immediately affecting other areas of work.
- Overnight fire leads to complete loss in billing department
- Pre-signed agreement secures alternative workspace within a week
- Customer service handles billing inquiries during transition
- Billing personnel stay in temporary space until new permanent location is secured
In this scenario:
- BIA identifies billing and revenue dependencies
- Cash reserves allow an acceptable week without billing
- Pre-planning: alternate work area, customer service managing billing calls
- Execution ensures no material business interruption, indicating successful continuity plan.
Business Continuity versus Disaster Recovery
Business Continuity (BC) plans focus on proactive measures to prevent incidents and ensure the continuous operation of critical business functions.
Disaster Recovery (DR) plans, on the other hand, focus on reactive measures to recover IT systems, applications, and data after a disaster or major incident.