Before discussing what Business Continuity Planning is, we would like to tell a story of a real life situation that recently happened. This example shows how crucial it is to have a plan in place.
It was a typical morning when one of our Managing Partners of Cambridge Support, was settled at his home office desk, coffee in hand. Little did he know that overnight, someone’s desperate search for quick cash had affected dozens of businesses throughout Eaton Socon.
At night, copper thieves had targeted BT’s cabling which serves Eaton Socon’s business parks. Their quick work with bolt cutters sliced through not just copper wiring but critical fibre optic connections as well. The aftermath? Thousands in repair costs for BT and a digital blackout across the business park, where our headquarters are located.
Yet amid this disruption, there emerged a big difference between those prepared and those caught off guard.
Our resilience planning had anticipated precisely this scenario. With redundant connectivity through a secondary provider and clearly documented contingency protocols, our response was immediate and effective. Though the theft occurred around 3:00am, by 7:15am, just fifteen minutes after our standard operating hours began our full team was operational and serving clients.
This brief fifteen minute service reduction fell well within our established two-hour recovery window for major incidents. Meanwhile, clients who had implemented similar contingency measures alongside us continued their operations with minimal interruption, barely registering the infrastructure crisis unfolding around them. Most of our clients with a plan also worked around the issue and continued operating as normal. However, it makes us wonder how did other businesses handle the downtime, were they prepared?
The incident serves as a powerful reminder that physical infrastructure remains vulnerable to surprisingly low-tech threats. Those who prepare for disruption don’t just recover faster they gain a competitive advantage when others are scrambling to restore basic functionality.
What is Business Continuity Planning?
This now brings us onto what Business Continuity Planning (BCP) is. It is essentially a proactive process that helps organisations prepare for and respond to potential disruptions. It is about ensuring that critical business functions can continue to operate during and after an unexpected event. It is important to understand that a Business Continuity Plan (BCP) is a broad, overarching strategy, and within that, IT plays a critical role. If Cambridge Support did not have a plan in place, our downtime could have been hours. This would have meant many unhappy customers, but due to planning, our downtime was only 15 minutes.
Safeguarding Your Operations
Depending on your needs and objectives, having a simple Business Continuity Plan is not expensive and it is something you can put together yourselves. You need to start by making a list of the risks which could include:
1. Natural Disasters: Events like floods, fire, or theft can damage physical assets and disrupt operations.
2. Cyber Security Threats: Cyber attacks, data breaches, or ransomware incidents can compromise critical information and interrupt business functions.
3. Technology Failures: System outages, hardware malfunctions, or software issues can halt productivity, especially if the business relies heavily on technology.
4. Supply Chain Disruptions: Interruptions in the supply chain—whether due to transportation issues, supplier failures, or geopolitical events—can affect inventory and service delivery.
5. Pandemics and Health Crises: Health emergencies can lead to workforce shortages and necessitate remote work arrangements.
6. Human Factors: Key personnel unavailability, labour disputes, or mistakes due to inadequate training can impact operations.
7. Utility Failures: Interruptions in power, water, or internet services can significantly impact day-to-day business activities.
Examples of Business Continuity Planning
Based on these risks, you can then define processes to cope with the risk. You need to consider each item and decide what you need to do. For example:
1. Natural Disasters Example: Develop an evacuation plan for employees and secure an off-site backup for critical data. Create a temporary remote work strategy if your office becomes inaccessible.
2. Cyber Security Threats Example: Establish a routine for regular data backups and implement multi-factor authentication. Train staff on phishing prevention and have an incident response plan ready in case of a breach.
3. Technology Failures Example: Set up redundant systems and cloud-based services to maintain operations if your primary system goes down. Schedule regular maintenance and testing of your hardware and software.
4. Supply Chain Disruptions Example: Identify alternate suppliers and create a communication plan with your supply chain partners. Maintain a small buffer stock of critical inventory to mitigate short-term supply issues.
5. Pandemics and Health Crises Example: Develop a remote work policy, ensuring all employees have the necessary tools to work from home. Create a business communication plan that includes regular updates and health guidelines.
6. Human Factors Example: Cross-train employees so that multiple team members can cover critical functions. Establish clear documentation for key business processes and maintain updated contact lists for rapid communication.
7. Utility Failures Example: Invest in backup power solutions, like generators, and establish contracts with alternative internet service providers. Develop contingency plans for prolonged outages that include alternative workspaces.
Conclusion
Not all the above might apply to you and your business and hopefully you will never be caught by any of them. However, there are organisations that thought they were too small, too smart or agile to get caught out but none of our businesses are immune and it is often a matter of when it happens rather than if it happens. We hope this article gives you an insight into how your business can prepare if such events affect your business.
About Cambridge Support
Cambridge Support offers a range of security planning services. Our teams are highly qualified with decades of experience working with small and medium sized businesses. Contact us today to safeguard your business against evolving cyber threats.