What is a Business Continuity Plan (BCP)?
A business continuity plan is a plan adopted by strategic management that defines how a company will act in the event of a crisis caused, for example, by a cyber attack. (Acronis, 2023) If we look at the logistics industry as an example, a cyber attack is particularly painful for the affected company, as it relies on uninterrupted processes in the supply chain. If the supply chain is interrupted, this leads to chaos in business operations, which not only causes financial damage but is also frustrating for employees. In 2023, 81.2% of all companies operating so-called critical infrastructure had a BCMS (Business Continuity Management System), while there were 68 successful attacks against companies. (BSI, 2023)
If you are one of the 18.8%, you are at constant risk of a cyber attack that could threaten the existence of your company. As you can see, a customised business continuity plan is important, indeed essential, if the company is to be protected against the various threats to business continuity.
Business continuity plan - Example and infographic
Now that we have looked at what a business continuity plan is and why business continuity management (BCM) contingency plans play a major role, we will look at what a business continuity plan can look like. At the end of this section, an infographic will be shown which, based on the main components mentioned by Acronis (2023), outlines an example of what a concrete business continuity plan can look like. However, the following section first shows the questions and points that need to be addressed in order to create a holistic business continuity plan.
According to Acronis (2023), a business continuity plan includes the following three main components
- Contingency plan
- Communication protocols and crisis management
- Restoration of business operations
Based on what Acronis (2023) considers important when creating a business continuity plan, an organisation could include the following information and items in their plan:
- Contact details for crisis situations (for example, the contact details of the contact person at an external IT service provider)
- Setting up data redundancies to be able to maintain data processes even during a system failure
- Activation of software that implements the business continuity plan (e.g. EIKONA Business Continuity), which is referred to as business continuity planning software
Acronis (2023) states that the following points must be taken into account in communication protocols and crisis management:
- If a crisis event occurs, what available resources can be used to avert the crisis?
- Which processes are most important in the company and should be prioritised when setting up redundant processes?
- Creation of a guideline for communication in the event of an emergency
Finally, according to Acronis (2023), a holistic business continuity plan also contains information on how business operations can be restored after a cyber attack, for example:
- The projected time it will take to recover
- Creation of control plans that define which processes are controlled by whom
- Definition of strategies & tactics to restore the previous status step by step after the crisis has been overcome
Business continuity solution from the experts
Would you like to have a holistic BCM concept including a BCM software developed for your company? We ensure security and continuity in your company.
Business Continuity Strategy - Our approach
There are many strategies and approaches for maintaining business continuity. At EIKONA Logistics, we specialise in protecting you in the event of a failure of your IT systems - which can happen after a cyber attack, for example. We take the approach of preventively setting up a redundant IT architecture (e.g. an ‘emergency TMS’) for our customers that can maintain the processes that are most important to you if your systems fail. For freight forwarders, for example, this means that they can receive and send orders digitally even if their transport management system fails. Booking time slots at loading bays can also continue to be made possible, to name just two examples. A well thought-out business continuity plan is just as important as choosing the right business continuity strategy, as both determine whether your company will recover quickly or lose a lot of economic substance in the event of an emergency.
Summary
A business continuity plan is important for the future of your company for a variety of reasons. With it, you can ensure that you are prepared for every conceivable crisis at all times and can act quickly if a crisis occurs. (Acronis, 2023) The choice of business continuity strategy is equally important for your holistic BCM concept and therefore also has a major impact on the business recovery process after a crisis.
Sources:
What is a business continuity plan (BCP)? (2023, 30 May). Acronis. www.acronis.com/de-de/blog/posts/business-continuity-plan/
The state of IT security in Germany in 2023. (2023, 2 November). Federal Office for Information Security.
www.bsi.bund.de/SharedDocs/
Downloads/DE/BSI/Publications/
Lageberichte/Lagebericht2023.html