If your organisation suffered an IT disaster and couldn’t access your IT systems, would you know what to do?
Could you afford for your network to be down for days, or even weeks?
If you answered ‘no’ to either of these, then business continuity management is probably something that you should strongly consider.
While this was quite an intense opening, we really do believe that implementing a proper IT disaster recovery plan is essential for every business, big and small.
What is a business continuity plan?
A business continuity plan/disaster recovery plan is any type of disaster recovery that is designed to combat, you guessed it, disasters.
A good business continuity solution will keep your organisation’s critical processes running in the event of a substantial failure, mitigating damage to your bottom line.
IT disasters include:
- Natural disasters – Floods are the most common here in the UK, but storms, earthquakes, etc. are all included here.
- Cyberattacks – Any cyberattack that shuts your system down is considered a disaster.
- Tech failings – This can be file corruptions, faulty hardware and much more.
- Infrastructure damage – Burst pipes and electrical fires are common causes of IT disaster.
- Man-made disasters – Road works can often cause disruption to your IT systems.
- Mistakes – Human error is common, and human error can lead to cyberattacks and other disasters.
- Sabotage – This includes any files that are stolen, or equipment that is damaged on purpose.
Essentially, anything that puts a halt on your business’ IT processes is considered a disaster. A business continuity plan doesn’t necessarily prevent a disaster, but it minimises downtime, ensuring that you can get your business back on its feet and prevent unnecessary, excessive expenditure.
Do I need a business continuity plan?
While an IT disaster is very likely, there’s no reason that it should be truly disastrous. With a proper IT disaster recovery plan in place, a severe disaster that could cost thousands to rectify could, instead, take half an hour and a quick reset.
We know which we’d prefer.
Businesses the world over implement disaster recovery plans – it’s insurance against the worst-case scenario. Nobody wants insurance until the day they need it, and then they’re bloody glad they got it.
As a result, we highly recommend business continuity plans for all businesses.
What are the benefits of IT disaster recovery?
While we’ve mentioned some of the key benefits of a business continuity plan above, there are even more to discuss!
Preserve your reputation
Data breaches can be catastrophic for an organisation’s reputation.
Consumers and businesses want to buy from businesses that are secure. If their data isn’t going to be safe with you, then they’re far less likely to shop with you. Unfortunately, all it takes is a single serious data leak to tar a reputation for years.
By demonstrating that you have sensible disaster recovery and advanced cyber security measures in place, and by getting back to an operational standard quickly, you reassure both current and potential customers that you’re a worthy investment, and that you’re taking cyber security seriously.
Continue business operations
Business continuity management is, as the name suggests, all about making sure that your business continues functioning in the unfortunate event of an IT disaster.
Mission critical processes will be brought back online as soon as possible, often via the cloud. While you may still be lacking a little functionality, you’ll still be able to provide your product/service while the rest of your network is recovered.
Boost employee morale
Looking after your processes and ensuring employees have the smoothest working experience possible reassures them that you’ve got their best interests at heart.
It also reassures your people that, while it’s important they remain vigilant, if they do make a mistake, it’s not going to be catastrophic, and your IT support team have them covered (your employees will thank you!).
Meet any regulatory requirements
As the cyber security landscape shifts and changes, there are growing global regulatory bodies that govern how businesses ought to protect their data.
Many business leaders are learning just how important being able to tackle an IT disaster is, especially with cyberattacks becoming more and more prevalent as years go by.
Implement a business continuity plan with Nebula IT
Looking to implement your business continuity plan, but not sure where to start?
At Nebula IT, we partner with businesses across the country in order to provide tailored, expert disaster recovery support. Our specialists will learn your IT processes front to back, before creating a bespoke business continuity plan that ensures your data is protected no matter what happens.
With both cloud & physical options available, we’re perfectly positioned to provide friendly advice, peace of mind and technical expertise to our clients.
If you’ve got any questions, or need a little more information, don’t hesitate to get in touch with our team today.
Alternatively, give us a call on +44 1454 534 009, or email us at enquiries@nebulait.co.uk.
