Why Plan - Why readyBCP

Why should organizations have a business continuity plan?

Disasters range in type and severity according to environmental conditions and the human factors involved. The truth is we have very limited control over the disaster itself. We have far greater control over our reactions to the event. Although achieving organizational resiliency is more than a technology issue, the ability to recover and continue to leverage technology (Disaster Recovery Planning) to support critical functions is an important step to a sound program. Continuity of critical business operations, emergency/crisis management, along with a sound security (physical and technical) are equally as important and should be considered as a program that is integrated into the organization.

Organizations have historically viewed disaster recovery and business continuity as protection or insurance they don't need or can't afford. However, external events and pressure from customers and business partners are catalysts today for organizations to assess their business continuity capabilities. The value of a sound business continuity program is much more far reaching than the insurance policy it once was viewed as. It provides assurance to customers, shareholders and business partners. It serves as an employee benefit, in that the organization is doing what it can to insure its employees have a place to work.

How much should an organization spend for this type of assurance? They don't want to overspend on protection, and yet know that investments need to be made in the right places. The answer lies in the question "What is the price of downtime that would result from system outages, natural disasters, facility fires or other risks?"