Business Continuity

A disaster can strike any organisation, large or small.It can arrive in the shape of storm, flood, fire, a terrorist bomb, action by pressure groups, product contamination or simply a quality control failure that allows sub-standard goods onto the market.

What would you do if your organisation suffered a disruption to its everyday business through:

  Loss of utilities - electricity, water, gas

  Loss of Information Technology - computer virus, theft of hardware, unlawful data access

  Loss of Telecommunications

  Loss of Key Documents - client contact details, personnel information, contractual agreements

  Denial of Access to Premises - fire, evacuation, scene of crime, flooding

  Loss of Staff - influenza pandemic, industrial action

  Supply chain failure - delivery problems, industrial action, damage to transport infrastructure

If the incident is large enough it will put the business out of action for a short or long period. Whether the business recovers or not and whether it is still operating 12 months later depends on what advance planning has taken place.

This means action before and not after disaster strikes.

NEWS RELEASE

From 15th May 2006 local authorities have a legal responsibility to promote business continuity. This duty is part of the Civil Contingencies Act (2004) which requires local authorities to provide business continuity advice and assistance to companies and voluntary groups to help better prepare them to respond to and continue to function in the event of an emergency.