Business continuity essentials
Business continuity protects critical operations during disruptions. Focus on identifying critical systems, single points of failure, and recovery priorities.
Core elements:
- Business impact analysis: identify essential functions and maximum acceptable downtime
- Recovery strategies: backups, redundant systems, alternate facilities
- Communication plan: how you’ll notify employees, customers, and suppliers
- Roles and responsibilities: crisis team and decision authority
Practical steps
- Regularly back up data and test restores.
- Maintain redundant suppliers or contingency contracts for key inputs.
- Document manual workarounds for critical processes if systems fail.
Testing and maintenance
Run drills and tabletop exercises to validate plans and update them after changes to systems or personnel.
Keep it proportionate
Scale continuity planning to your business size and risks. Even small companies can prevent catastrophic losses with a few practical, tested measures.