Creating a business continuity plan (BCP) is crucial to keeping your critical business functions running in the event of an emergency. Disruptions like power outages, natural disasters, and cyber threats or cyber-attacks can make your company and workers vulnerable. Without a secure plan, you risk becoming non-functional. By preparing now, you can protect your business and keep your staff, clients, and customers happy.  

What is a business continuity plan?  

A business continuity plan is a document. It describes steps to take if your online systems or physical workplace are at risk.   

These potential threats encompass everything from plumbing problems to labour strikes to system outages. Recently, there were outages for hundreds of thousands of people using Vodaphone, BT, EE, O2, Sky, and other services. This led to severe delays for many businesses and lots of lost revenue. 

How to create a business continuity plan  

Business continuity planning involves assessing your key business processes and potential weak areas within your company that could be disastrous if compromised. This can include a particular system, piece of equipment, a certain file, or even a member of staff. If you are likely to face certain emergencies, like living in a floodplain, make special plans for these situations.  

Consult staff from across the business to determine the areas you need to protect or bolster. It is a good idea to do a risk assessment and business impact analysis. This will give you better insight into your important business processes.   

You should clearly outline the steps of your recovery strategy if any of these processes are delayed. Consider how to address the problem as well as how you will keep the business functioning in the meantime.   

Preparing now could save a lot of stress in an emergency. This could mean making copies of important files or documents. It could also involve setting up backup systems or work-from-home options for staff.  

Also, consider getting broadband insurance to protect your business from expenses caused by broadband outages. This is important as it can be detrimental to your workflow.  

Your plan should also designate staff members for the emergency management of certain problems. Include their contact information in the document, as well as contacts for engineers, plumbers, IT technicians, and anybody else important in an emergency.   

Lastly, distribute your BCP to staff members and test it to ensure there are no gaps or issues with your backup processes. Continue to monitor and update your plan regularly. This could be the difference between experiencing a minor inconvenience and causing major financial damage to your business.   

At dbfb, we offer a range of services to protect your business and help you bolster your BCP. We can provide you with broadband insurance, cloud phone systems, cyber security and IT services, and more. Call 01604 673320 or email discover@dbfb.co.uk to see how our team can help you.