Establish a business continuity team to get the full picture

A business continuity program requires a focus on service delivery. An organization must identify which of the IT services it provides are critical and how. Then, look at the dependencies that go into the delivery of those services and which IT applications are part of the dependency.

“What we always talk about is that you should make sure you have a joined-up response,” Gregory said. That means a business continuity team incorporates people from roles across the operation, such as HR, finance, legal and facilities.

The specific roles and the required skills for a business continuity team depend on an organization’s situation and goals, Gregory said. For example, once an organization has identified a recovery strategy and priorities, it can start to designate leaders within that strategy. Anyone who the business names as a responder for a crisis needs training to carry out that role, he said.

“They need to have great knowledge of the organization and of what constitutes a disruption, and they should be trained and be participating in exercises to test the plans,” Gregory said.

Business continuity team membership must include management, where appropriate, so when there are major issues around the scale or duration of a disruption, someone can make high-level decisions, even under pressure.

Less formal, but also important, are designated BC champions at various levels in the organization. Business continuity champions take on leadership roles during a disruption. Organizations should also empower others within the company with the skills required to respond. This can be done with an established business continuity framework or plan, Gregory said.