Business continuity planning for natural disasters and cyber attacks

Business Continuity and Service Restoration

The business continuity planning is the identification of potential external and internal threats that can lead to the disruption of the business process, which can lead to a loss of business infrastructures. In other words, the business continuity plan is the response of hazard that threats an organizational business process. The disruption of business operations can be predictable or unpredictable. However, the power outage and the minor network failures are minor problems that can disrupt business operations. However, a real disaster that can disrupt business activities is cyber attacks, flood, and theft of sensitive data. Business organizations can suffer unanticipated losses because of natural disasters, however, the goal of business continuity plan is to assist in recovery in the critical business process.

In the contemporary business environment, disasters are inevitable, and vary in magnitude and types. Disasters are defined as the abrupt destruction of business operations through natural disasters. To minimize the business loss, a business organization needs to develop a disaster recovery plan to enhance the business continuity. Natural disasters are the major adverse events that emanate from natural occurrences such as hurricanes, flood, volcanic eruptions, and tornadoes. Typically, natural disasters can lead to loss of revenues and halt business operations. Thus, a disaster is an event that can make business operations unusable and inoperable. The goal of disaster recovery or business continuity planning is to restore business operations in the face of major disruption. The business continuity plan involves identification of internal and external threats and provides the strategy to recover the business operations to enhance organizations business efficiency. The goal of business continuity plan is to recover the business activity in the face of outrage to recover business activities. Thus, the business activity assists organizations to minimize business loss, recover the business operations as well as replace or repair the damaged components or facilities as soon as possible.

Objective

The objectives of this business continuity plan are to design the recovery plan is to recover critical business functions in the event of natural disaster or man-made disaster.

Scope

The business continuity will be limited to recovery of the business IT facilities of the organization. The plan includes all procedures to achieve the business continuity to prevent a stop of the business operations. The scope of the plan focuses on the recovery of the business operations from localized disasters that include man-made or natural disasters. However, the scope of the plan will focus on the localized disasters such as flood and fires. The scope of the plan is not cover the major national or regional disasters such as war, earthquake, and nuclear holocaust.

Assumptions

The following assumptions are to be implemented to achieve business continuity:

• There will be a backup of critical data between 5 and 7 days to restore the data center.

• The plan will be properly updated and maintained.

• Each department should maintain their business continuity plan.

Alternate Business Site and Relocation Strategy

The next stage is to design the alternative business site such as alternative office facilities that will serve as a place where the organization will relocate their operations that will serve as an alternative business site. The strategy is short-term, nevertheless, it will serve the business purpose for some few weeks. The long-term strategy will require leasing a new business office or occupy another office building in the same city or metropolitan area.

Recovery Plan Phases

The strategies to recover the facilities of a business organization will be divided into four phases:

Disaster Occurrence phase:

This phase starts when the natural events occur and decision to activate a recovery plan. The main activities that will be carried out in this phase are to implement the emergency response measures, damage assessment activities, notification of management, and disaster declaration.

Plan Activation

The stakeholders put the business continuity plan into effect at this phase. For example, the business management reestablishes critical functions, and restores computer services. At this phase, the major activity is to assemble the recovery teams, relocation of backup site, interim procedures implementation, and reestablishing the data communications.

Alternate Site Operations

The management establishes the secondary facility operations at this phase, which continues until management restores the primary facility.

Transition onto the Primary Site

At this phase, the management makes all necessary activities transited to the primary facility location.

Vital Records Backup

Reference

Pinta, J.(2012). Disaster Recovery Planning as part of Business Continuity Management Pinta, J. AGRIS On-line Papers in Economics and Informatics. 3.4: 55-61.