There are a few questions I get asked at every engagement with customers, is our Business Continuity Plan ready for any event? The first thing to discuss is when was the last time it was reviewed, updated and tested? The BCP Plan is not one thing you do, put on the shelf and it is ready to go whenever we need it. Organizations change throughout the year, technology changes, staff changes, and threats change. So you have to work on it throughout the year.
The one thing I like to do it is an audit of the plan. Take an audit questionnaire or template and walk through it with the management team, and based on those results, determine some focus areas. Ensure the plan is ready when needed, and that the plan is offsite as well.
One more recommendation, and that is staff training. You need to take the time to train your staff on the plan, what to do in the event of a crisis. Once the training is complete, test the plan and ensure everyone knows what to do. If you can not come to the office, you call this message hot line for instructions, you VPN into the office to work from home, you report in hourly, whatever the instructions need to be. Staff need to know, understand and be able to act as needed.
Senior Management needs to take this issue serious, and ensure their organization is ready for any event coming their way. Plan, Prepare and Test will make sure you are ready to execute as needed.
If you need help with your plan, reach out.
Keep it positive!
Scott Arnett
www.arnettservicesgroup.com
About Me
- Scott Arnett
- Scott Arnett is an Information Technology & Security Professional Executive with over 30 years experience in IT. Scott has worked in various industries such as health care, insurance, manufacturing, broadcast, printing, and consulting and in enterprises ranging in size from $50M to $20B in revenue. Scott’s experience encompasses the following areas of specialization: Leadership, Strategy, Architecture, Business Partnership & Acumen, Process Management, Infrastructure and Security. With his broad understanding of technology and his ability to communicate successfully with both Executives and Technical Specialists, Scott has been consistently recognized as someone who not only can "Connect the Dots", but who can also create a workable solution. Scott is equally comfortable playing technical, project management/leadership and organizational leadership roles through experience gained throughout his career. Scott has previously acted in the role of CIO, CTO, and VP of IT, successfully built 9 data centers across the country, and is expert in understanding ITIL, PCI Compliance, SOX, HIPAA, FERPA, FRCP and COBIT.
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