If there is one thing everyone knows when it comes to business, it would be that it comes with risks. Any business venture, regardless of industry, is not invincible to threats and crises. That’s why, as company owners, you must find a way for your company to stay afloat even after an unforeseen event strikes. You can do all the prevention measures in the world, but nothing is 100% guaranteed.
That brings us to the Business Continuity Plan. Read on to know what exactly a business continuity plan is, why it is crucial, its benefits, and why you should start investing in one.
A Business Continuity Plan or BCP is a process to create a protocol or a system in the event a crisis happens. In addition to that, it also has prevention policies to lessen the risk. The main goal of a business continuity plan is protection so that your business can survive and recover from any crisis.
As much as you want to prevent things, sometimes, stuff happens. Imagine if your company suffers a financial crisis, property damage, cyber-attack, or even a natural disaster. Understandably, these emergencies will affect or interrupt your business operations and may even cost you a lot of money. So, how does a BCP help you with all of that?
A business continuity plan is a comprehensive strategy for your business. All necessary information about your company and how it will respond to different scenarios is enlisted there. Think of it as a disaster recovery plan, but way better.
It includes contingency plans for all essential components of your company to function, from business processes to human resources. These plans define all possible risks that your business may encounter, and these will outline all procedures you will do when you face them. For example, a plan may contain a guide or a checklist of a company’s backup site locations, data backup protocols, equipment, and supplies. More detailed strategies also enlist the critical point persons, such as plan administrators, emergency responders, and more.
A Business Continuity Plan or BCP is a process to create a protocol or a system in the event a crisis happens. In addition to that, it also has prevention policies to lessen the risk. The main goal of a business continuity plan is protection so that your business can survive and recover from any crisis.
As much as you want to prevent things, sometimes, stuff happens. Imagine if your company suffers a financial crisis, property damage, cyber-attack, or even a natural disaster. Understandably, these emergencies will affect or interrupt your business operations and may even cost you a lot of money. So, how does a BCP help you with all of that?
To paint you a better picture of what a BCP looks like, we will list down all primary aspects of an effective and comprehensive business continuity plan. It has three primary aspects overall:
These three components make business continuity plans different from your company insurance and a typical disaster recovery plan. First, it must be available regardless of what happens. Because a BCP is what businesses rely on when things are interrupted, you should have the capability to access all your applications when there are local failures.
Secondly, a BCP exists so that your company can still run while you deal with the crisis at hand. It should allow continuous operations, and that is what it can do for you. That also applies to planned interruptions when your company needs to shut down for maintenance or a scheduled backup for a server.
Lastly, BCPs enable you to recover data in another location when your original site becomes inoperable, or it’s damaged.
Developing your business continuity planning might sound tedious, but it is vital. Fortunately, your BCP journey can be made easier with KMC.
We offer continuity plans designed to help your business continue operating at full capacity during an emergency. Our business continuity plans have dedicated offices that you can access at a moment’s notice to maintain your operations.
Need data recovery services? Our plan covers that, too! We also have backup sites with your exact configuration so that there is minimal to zero downtime in case a disaster strikes. Moreover, you will also have access to all KMC amenities with our BCP services. These amenities are found on your chosen site and can include 24/7 IT support, 24/7 utility team support, and weekday admin support.
Get in contact with us so our KMC Team can show you around! Choose to tour any of our 26 flexible workspace locations and have us personally take you around to answer all your inquiries.
Like what was often mentioned in this article, a BCP helps your business be prepared when an unforeseen event occurs. Most people would not know how to act when faced with an emergency. However, they will rely on their immediate instinct, which is unsustainable and can even be dangerous. There is a reason why schools hold fire and earthquake drills!
With a BCP, you will be able to outline all the procedures to be followed before the emergency happens. This way, you can train your employees on what to do, and they become informed of how they can best protect themselves to avoid unwise decisions. Plus, having protocols in place lessens panic.
A primary aspect of every BCP is continuous operations. Although there may be cases wherein you will have no choice but to stop operations, a BCP will help you recover and bounce back and keep your business running. Costs and expenses pause for no one, not even for crises. When your company has a continuity plan, it boosts business security so you won’t be forced to shut down.
Saving your company's reputation is not an obvious benefit of having a continuity plan, but it does. How you respond to an unforeseen event reflects on your company and its work ethic. Plus, since business continuity plans contain predetermined policies and systems, your company will know what to do when a crisis happens. It might not always be a direct answer, but having a good idea of which direction to take helps avoid hasty decisions that may make you look bad.
If you want to preserve your company’s reputation, then investing in a BCP is the wise thing to do. When you take time and effort to think about emergency response, A BCP will better equip you to recover and continue operations as you would normally.
When you feel uncertain, chances are you won’t feel confident. Decision-making is challenging, particularly in emergencies when you are unsure what your next step should be.
Having a business continuity plan eliminates all those doubts and uncertainties. It helps you and your employees be more confident in dealing with setbacks because you took the time and effort to consider your next steps. Moreover, having safeguards in place for your business helps boost confidence because you know that essential assets and people are protected.
Of course, a business continuity plan does not come without its standards. Developing a business continuity plan has standards and guidelines in place for all related activities. With this, your company can comply better with industry standards for responding to various situations.
A business continuity plan is worthy of your investment. You wouldn’t want to lose revenue and pay costs unexpectedly, right? Plus, there is nothing wrong with preparing beforehand. Any business will significantly benefit from having a safeguard in place, apart from insurance.
That is why you need a BCP office. What will you do when your operations are interrupted and have nowhere to go? Time is precious in business, and continuing your operations is crucial, especially when you’re in the middle of growth. With a ready BCP office, you can transfer whenever the need arises, and you don’t have to worry about that!
So if you’re looking for a company that offers the best BCP services, KMC is the one you are looking for. Our company has the best BCP offerings, from 24/7 access rooms to data recovery. Our BCP offices come with various features such as Wi-Fi, conference rooms, a pantry, and more! All you need to run your business is already there for you at KMC. Call us now to get our sweet BCP offerings!