Business continuity planning is vital for any organisation, as it is the one tool that you can use to ensure that your business operations can continue during and after a disruptive event.
However, even the most comprehensive business continuity plans (also known as BCPs) can fail under certain circumstances, leaving businesses vulnerable.
For companies in the UK, understanding how to recover from such failures is just another part of the business continuity planning process, especially in an era where cyber threats and natural disasters are on the rise and becoming increasingly more sophisticated.
Understanding Business Continuity Failure
Business continuity failure occurs when a company’s BCP is either insufficient to address a crisis or is entirely non-functional during a critical event. This can lead to extended downtime, financial loss, and damage to the company’s reputation.
But failure isn’t actually the end, instead how a business responds to the failure of its plan can determine how it comes out of the disaster and how it moves forward.
One of the stand-out examples of a business continuity plan gone totally wrong is the 2021 ransomware attack on Ireland’s Health Service Executive (HSE).
Despite having fairly tough cyber security protocols in place, the HSE was wholly unprepared for the sheer scale of the Conti ransomware attack.
The system-wide breach forced the HSE to shut down essential services, from its outpatient clinics to its payroll system, affecting some 146 000 healthcare workers. It took three months to fully restore operations but as a result, the failure showed the need for the HSE to create an even tougher and far more adaptable continuity plan, one that could, going forward, handle even the worst kinds of unexpected threats.
Simple Steps to Bounce Back from Failure
Recovering from a business continuity failure involves more than just getting back to business as usual.
It requires a strategic approach to mitigate the damage, restore operations, and strengthen resilience against future threats. If this is a situation your company currently faces, or if you just want to cover all your bases, this is how to bounce back.
- Assess the Damage Quickly and Thoroughly
The first step in bouncing back is to conduct a thorough assessment of the damage.
This involves identifying what went wrong with the BCP, what systems were affected, and the immediate impact on operations. For the HSE, this meant inspecting over 2 000 IT systems and shutting down more than 85 000 computers to contain the ransomware.
A swift, comprehensive damage assessment enables businesses to prioritise recovery efforts and allocate their resources effectively.
- Communicate Transparently with Stakeholders
Transparent communication with stakeholders, whether they are employees, customers, or partners, is critical during a recovery.
In the case of the Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Foundation Trust, which was hit by the Globe2 ransomware in 2016, the lack of an effective BCP led to the shutdown of hospitals and the disruption of care for over 2 800 patients, with patients, including women in labour, being turned away.
Clear communication about the situation and steps being taken to rectify it would have been essential in maintaining trust and managing expectations during the crisis.
- Take Advantage of Technology for Recovery
Technology can be both a vulnerability and a saviour in business continuity.
When Hurricane Harvey hit Texas in 2017, Gaille Media’s physical office space became unusable.
However, thanks to a forward-thinking BCP that used cloud-based operations, Gaille Media’s team was able to work remotely without any disruption to their services.
Using cloud technology, remote working solutions, and data backups can significantly speed up your recovery times and ensure business continuity even when the physical infrastructure is compromised.
- Revise and Strengthen the BCP
After stabilising operations, it’s important to revisit and revise your BCP.
The shortcomings revealed during a crisis should be addressed, and the plan should then be updated to prevent similar failures in the future.
This continuous improvement approach ensures that your business is better prepared for the next unforeseen event.
*
If you take anything from this blog, it’s this: Don’t wait for a crisis to strike.
Contact 24/7 IT Services today to ensure your business is resilient against any challenge by letting us help you with your business continuity plan. We also provide managed IT support and IT security solutions.
