With the summer storm season upon us, and key staff away for the holidays in many businesses, it’s a good time to check that your business continuity management systems are ready.
The holiday season can be used as a low stress ‘test’ of business continuity plans, in view of the temporary loss and unavailability of staff, as well as the increased likelihood of storm damage, flooding, power loss etc. Having robust business strategies in place can mitigate the effects of a natural disaster like a severe storm, and it can be an indicator of the robustness of business continuity plans if everything runs smoothly over the holiday period.
In the busy lead-up to Christmas, taking a little time to check that business continuity strategies are in place and ready to be implemented if required, will pay dividends by assisting to minimise losses and facilitate recovery. Some questions to ask now include:
- Is your Business Continuity Plan (BCP) documented?
- Have the possible risks to your business from weather events been identified and analysed?
- Has the BCP been reviewed and updated in the last 12 months?
- Has the BCP been tested to ensure that personnel understand the contents and are able to react to a disruption event?
- Is the BCP accessible to the personnel that require it?
- Are there support staff or alternates for key personnel on leave?
- Have these personnel been trained ?
- Has critical equipment been identified and can it be relocated and/or protected?
- Is there sufficient stock to supply your business and customers in the event of severe storm damage, flooding, access problems, power loss etc.?
- Does the BCP include location of critical documentation (e.g. insurance, financial, legal and identification documents)?
- Is critical data backed up and secure?
Some time spent now to check that the answer to these questions is ‘yes’ will provide significant peace of mind over the holiday and storm season.
Please contact QRMC for more information.
