Tips from the Experts

The business continuity planning process is individual to every organization, but the importance of having a plan is universal. An investment of time, effort and money during the early stages of the process can pay big dividends in the face of unforeseen events.

1. Plan in advance.

Developing a plan in the midst of a crisis is a recipe for disaster. Anticipate potential problems and form a well-documented, comprehensive plan to address both disaster recovery and continuity of essential business processes.

 

2. Assess your risk.

Fail-proof planning requires risk analysis. Assess both your network and your business model to determine your risks as well as your operational and financial exposures.

 

3. Protect critical networks, systems and applications.

Determining the best location for network, system and application continuity services helps reduce the risk of catastrophic outages and improve recovery response times. Alternatives range from physical relocation of equipment to outsourcing.

 

4. Deploy networks engineered to meet your changing business requirements.

As your business grows and advances, you’ll need to develop and implement cost-effective networks that will meet bandwidth requirements for continuous operations while delivering a return on investment.

 

5. Build redundancy to support critical operations.

A combination of diverse network routing and the ability to duplicate mission-critical applications is essential to communications and the continuity of business operations.

 

6. Use network-based services.

Network-based services enable rapid service restoration. The ability to quickly switch from a disabled location to alternate operational sites will have a positive impact on overall business continuity.