Business Continuity Plan

A BCP (Business Continuity Plan) gives the organization the best shot in the event a disaster strikes. Whether it is a fire, a building collapse, a malicious attack, sabotage, a power outage, or a natural disaster like a tornado or earthquake, a catastrophe can hit at any moment without warning. The lack of a BCP does not mean that the organization will not recover; it merely means the organization will take longer to recover in an unorganized fashion and may face legal ramifications. The organization’s goal is to maintain business functionality or resume business functionality as quickly as possible after a disaster. A BCP outlines procedures and instructions the organization must follow to make the organization’s goal a success.

Rules and regulations provide a standard of guidelines from a regulating body to form guidance under which good practices should be observed. Issued by third-parties, standards are world-wide and relate to Business Continuity as a whole as part of compliance.  Regulatory compliance is a significant factor influencing the development of a business continuity strategy. Standards are adopted and put into practice to provide organizations with an outline for business integrity. There are fifteen (15) different regulations an organization’s BCP needs to follow to be compliant with the United States Standards of regulation for compliance. An overview of the world-wide regulations can be found at www.BCI.org.

A BCP is a strategic outline of procedures in the case an emergency should arise. It the organization’s hope it should never have to be used. But, if the day comes, the organization will be prepared both by trained staff and covered from legal liabilities. The key points of training the employees on the BCP are to focus on the topics of progress: awareness and implementation. Everyone will know what to do if disaster strikes. Greater awareness means greater protection for the organization.