Business continuity and disaster recovery (BCDR) is a blanket approach that helps organizations minimize the impact of a disaster or any unexpected business disruption. These interruptions may include natural calamities, cyber attacks, system failures, power outages, terrorism, and health crises like the COVID-19 pandemic.
A BCDR program is like a backup plan for when things don’t go as planned.
Read More about Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery
BCDR plans comprise two elements—a business continuity plan and a disaster recovery plan. We will dive deeper into each below.
What Is a Disaster Recovery Plan?
A disaster recovery plan (DRP) is a detailed guide dictating how an organization’s IT infrastructure can efficiently recover and function right after an unforeseen incident. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) further specifies that this written plan should describe how to sustain critical IT operations within 12 hours and up to 30 days after a disaster.
A DRP primarily focuses on restoring IT systems as soon as possible without losing too much data. It involves implementing data backup and recovery and building system redundancy.
Data Recovery Strategy
Data backup strategies are outlined in the DRP and hopefully implemented before any disaster happens. These strategies could be a combination of data replication where multiple copies of critical data are stored in different locations, creating cloud data backup and off-site storage. During an unexpected event, data recovery would then be triggered.
System Redundancy
Disaster recovery teams may require organizations to duplicate critical systems or their components to make sure operations continue in case one system fails. Some examples of redundancy in IT infrastructure include the following:
- Having data centers in different geographical locations to minimize the impact of local disasters
- Using multiple power sources, such as generators, so operations continue during power outages
- Having more than one network connection to ensure connectivity if the primary network becomes unavailable
- Implementing load balancing so incoming web traffic is distributed across several servers to avoid overloading
What Is a Business Continuity Plan?
A business continuity plan (BCP) is a set of written instructions detailing how an organization should continue its operations during and after a disruption. Compared with a DRP, a BCP is broader since it encompasses all aspects of business operations, including disaster recovery. Here are a few of the business aspects a BCP is concerned with.
Critical Business Functions
A BCP identifies the core business activities essential for an organization’s survival and prioritizes its recovery efforts.
For example, the core functions that should be immediately recovered for an e-commerce business include order fulfillment, product delivery, payment processing, and customer service. The organization’s BCP should focus on sustaining these processes during an unforeseen event and returning them to normal after a crisis.
Maintaining Communications
Since clear communication is crucial during and after a disaster, a BCP should outline how employees, customers, suppliers, and other stakeholders can continue communicating. This guideline may include maintaining an emergency contact list and using multiple communication channels. A mass notification system may also be implemented.
Alternative Operating Procedures
Organizations should develop alternative ways to perform critical business functions when normal operations are disrupted. Some examples of alternative strategies include a remote work setup, going to alternative suppliers, and maintaining backup equipment.
Employee Safety
A BCP also includes emergency response plans that establish procedures for employee evacuation. It prioritizes employee well-being by conducting safety drills and providing emergency supplies and first aid kits.
What Are the Benefits of Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery ?
Now that we’ve discussed DRP and BCP separately, imagine fusing the two plans. This combination creates a powerful and more comprehensive approach that makes organizations more resilient. As a result, entities experience these benefits.
- Minimized downtime: Since BCDR addresses both IT and operational recovery, critical business functions can continue with minimal disruption.
- Improved customer relationships: Customers are more likely to trust organizations that can continue providing products and services even during a crisis.
- Increased employee confidence: A BCDR plan gives employees peace of mind, knowing that the organization has a plan in place to address emergencies and ensure their safety.
- Regulatory compliance: Developing a BCDR plan can help organizations meet compliance requirements, especially in industries that have regulations related to data security and business continuity.
What Are the Challenges in Implementing Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery ?
Lack of management support is one of the major hurdles in implementing a BCDR plan. It would be difficult to allocate resources to BCDR activities without the commitment of top management executives since a comprehensive BCDR program can be costly. Organizations need to invest in technology, regular maintenance, and employee training.
Keeping BCDR plans updated is also challenging, especially since businesses constantly evolve along with technologies, regulatory requirements, and external threats.
Lastly, regular testing of BCDR plans is time-consuming, making it difficult to test and ensure they work.
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BCDR helps businesses stay resilient even during a crisis. The challenges in implementing and maintaining this program far outweigh the benefits for organizations.
Key Takeaways
- BCDR involves implementing a comprehensive plan that minimizes the impact of a disaster or any unexpected business disruption.
- It combines a BCP and a DRP.
- DRP focuses on restoring an organization’s IT infrastructure right after an unforeseen incident.
- BCP has a broader scope and aims to allow organizations to continue operating during and after a disruption.
- The benefits of combining the two plans include minimized downtime, improved customer relationships, increased employee confidence, and regulatory compliance.
- Lack of management support, budget constraints, time-consuming updates, and regular testing are among its challenges.
Sources
- https://www.oracle.com/au/business-continuity/business-continuity-disaster-recovery/#
- https://www.ibm.com/think/topics/business-continuity-disaster-recovery
- https://www.agilityrecovery.com/article/12-things-know-business-continuity
