What is a business continuity strategy? 

A business continuity strategy helps organisations to plan and prepare for incidents that may disrupt their operations. Typically, a business will identify a number of threats that could pose a risk to their functionality, and analyse the impact that these could have on their processes. These could include anything from accidental human error to natural disasters or targeted cyber attacks.

An effective business continuity strategy will enable businesses to refer to a set of pre-established guidelines and processes if they experience operational disruption. This helps them to avoid unwanted downtime and continue providing their services, minimising any negative financial, reputational or legal consequences.

The business benefits of a business continuity strategy

While the primary advantage of devising an effective business continuity strategy is, of course, maintaining business continuity in the event of a disaster, there are several other benefits to be gained as well.

Protect your reputation

Without a business continuity plan, a data disaster could burden customers with delays and service disruptions – and negatively affect your business reputation. On the other hand, if you can resume functionality efficiently after a disruption and demonstrate that you have not lost productivity, then your customers will remain satisfied, and your reputation will benefit.

Boost team morale

An effective business continuity strategy includes a contingency plan for all teams and departments within your business. This will not only demonstrate that every member of your organisation has been considered and accounted for, but it will also allow your employees to feel confident in their actions if a disaster should occur.

Encourage partners

Having an effective business continuity strategy in place will demonstrate that your business is well-managed and prepared for the future. This will be reassuring for third-party partners and stakeholders, as you are demonstrating that you understand and respect your responsibilities to investors, customers and employees alike.

Adhere to regulatory requirements

As the cyber threat landscape continues to evolve, the likelihood of experiencing a security indent is growing. As a result, many industries are requiring companies to implement business continuity strategies in order to adhere to sector specific compliance regulations. This is particularly relevant for businesses operating in industries which handle large amounts of sensitive data, such as the legal or financial sectors. Establishing a clear business continuity strategy will ensure that you remain fully compliant with regulatory requirements and do not face any legal repercussions if an incident takes place.

Entrust your business continuity strategy to Pensar

Pensar provide advanced backup, disaster recovery and business continuity services, offering the essential support and preparative services you need to remain fully productive in the event of an incident or cyber attack. We work to secure and protect every aspect of your business, from your email to your confidential data.

Get in touch with one of our experts today to find out how a business continuity strategy could aid your organisation.