Business Continuity and the 9 Critical Functions of a Strong Business Continuity Plan

John Muscarella, Vice President of Channel Sales, Cox Business

When business owners think about creating a business continuity plan, many tend to limit the scope of their plans to simple IT recovery and emergency preparedness without considering all critical business functions.

A well-designed business continuity plan impacts nearly every aspect of a business’s health. So, while emergency relief and IT disaster recovery are important elements, they should be only a part of your overall business continuity plan.

Consider how your clients’ current business continuity plans are equipped to address their company’s resilience during and while recovering from disruptions and disasters in these nine critical function areas:

1. Emergency Management

Do their employees know how to respond in the event of a fire, a natural disaster, a lockdown situation or a medical emergency?

Most business continuity planners are aware of the need for basic emergency management. As a starting point, personnel should have access to emergency procedures, know who is in charge in the event of an emergency and have frequent opportunities to practice appropriate emergency responses.

2. Disaster Recovery

Are their company’s most critical IT systems prepared to survive a disruption? Is all company data backed up regularly? Do your clients have a documented recovery plan in place?

As more and more companies hold important records, data and plans almost solely electronically, protecting the security and sanctity of IT systems has become increasingly essential.

3. Facilities Management

Office space, warehousing, manufacturing plants, storefronts and other facilities all come with potential vulnerabilities to fire, natural disasters or other physical threats.

However, through proper continuity planning, businesses and organizations can design company facilities for resilience during disaster and maintain the best possible ability to withstand or recover from damage to their physical locations.

4. Mass Absentee Planning

How long could your clients’ businesses survive the absence of many employees due to a union dispute, natural disaster or widespread illness?

Sudden mass absenteeism is a serious threat that can cripple otherwise healthy businesses. Your clients need plans and procedures to continue critical business functions even if many employees are not available to work.

5. Supply Chain Management

Every point in the client supply chain represents a vulnerability to disaster, labor relations issues, a lack of product supply and many other potential disruptions.

Your clients’ business continuity plans should provide contingencies for the continuation of product distribution in the event of a disruption in the standard supply chain.

6. Health and Safety

Most employers would agree that beyond any other business function, the health and safety of customers and employees are of the utmost importance.

That’s why every business needs systems designed to protect stakeholders from security threats, outbreaks of illness, environmental hazards or any other conceivable threat to personnel.

7. Knowledge Management

Imagine that one or more executives or critical employees were to become suddenly unavailable due to sudden death, a medical emergency or some other cause. Would the remaining employees have access to the necessary information to continue business operations?

Knowledge management covers the distribution of trade secrets, passwords and other pertinent business knowledge so that the business can survive beyond the lifetime of any one team member.

8. Security

Are your clients protected from the theft of merchandise, supplies and equipment? What about electronic theft? Are their data systems prepared to withstand hacking or electronic tampering?

Protecting physical and intellectual property, data records and other sensitive materials from damage, theft or loss is another important function of your clients’ business continuity plans.

9. Crisis Communications

How do your clients communicate with their employees and the general public about the status of their business when a disruption — from a small ice storm to a major hurricane — arises?

Your clients’ business continuity plans should specifically address communications with business stakeholders regarding facility closings, supply limitations or any other change in typical business operations.

Proper business continuity planning is a big job requiring significant time, resources and input from every company member. It is not a task on a to-do list that your clients can quickly address and move on from. Rather, continuity planning is an ongoing priority that must be constantly focused on in your clients’ company culture.

As Vice President of Channel Sales at Cox Business, John Muscarella is responsible for the overall readiness strategy for the indirect business sales channels. His team has the primary responsibility to develop, implement ­and sell solutions utilizing the Cox Communications network throughout the country. John has more than 25 years of experience in business management, which includes sales and leadership positions with companies such as Polycom, Sprint and EDS.

This guest blog is part of a Channel Futures sponsorship.