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What If?

These days, ICT underpins nearly all business functions.

Recovery of the ICT department say, within 24 hours, will restore much of the core business functionality, provide business support and make available administrative procedures such as financials and human resources.

But, what if there were no offices left after a flood, no warehouse or stock left after a fire or no access to the premises after contamination or a bomb? what use is ICT recovery then?

That's where my Experience of Business Continuity Planning (BCP) comes in.

BCP - Business Continuity Planning

If the unthinkable actually happens, my clients are well prepared for all eventualities and can immediately set in motion the appropriate plans that will enable them to recover, almost seamlessly, from even the most extensive disaster.

Access to the plans requires some fore-thought, for example, its no use keeping the contingency and recovery plans in your office drawer, nor on the main computer or on your desk top PC or even the notebook you bring in every day. As with backup tapes, a remote storage strategy for plans is required, either on the Web or off-site in hard copy or on a remote computer system.

Interruptions to trading can be fatal to business, bankruptcy can follow any major physical and financial losses and confidence in the business can evaporate as fast as investors and shareholders withdraw their support.

I have the knowledge and experience to prepare contingency plans that will instil confidence in shareholders and keep insurance premiums low.

Disasters cannot be prevented, but it is possible to minimise their occurrence and to limit any damage caused. This can be achieved through detailed analysis and expert planning.

I have the experience to work closely with a small client team and select and contract 3^rd party IT Disaster Recovery Services, alternative accommodation, warehousing, production facilities and plant in fact anything and everything that is necessary to conduct business as usual.

ICT recovery cannot solve all business continuity issues.

There are areas such as staff management, accommodation, outsourcing, sub-contracting, transportation and warehousing that need contingency planning in advance of any incident so that options can be taken up with minimum delay when they are needed

I am aware of these issues and am very capable of identifying the needs and of implementing appropriate contingency measures.

Prevention is the best form of protection and before a disaster occurs, a lot can be done to help prevent incidents, such as ensuring there is adequate security and alarm systems in operation.

I am experienced in identifying where steps could be taken to minimise risk such as using dual communications service providers or avoiding flood damage by keeping stock or cabling above ground.

In the end the level of protection an organisation installs is dependent upon the costs of installing appropriate measures versus the cost of loss. I can advise on the most cost effective preventative measures and assess what financial investment the measures would protect.

Effort & Time scale: No two business continuity assignments are the same. My experience has shown that although templates and pro-forma documents are used to speed the process, it is not possible to apply a pre-conceived solution to business continuity, therefore...	Consultancy Days: The number of days consultancy effort require to achieve a comprehensive business continuity plan are dependent upon a number of factors such as...	Size and complexity of the organisation The number of steps selected from the method Any additional work required The amount of work that can be done by client staff The level of detail required The scope of the requirement
During the planning stage I work with clients to establish and agree the number of days required from the consultant and the tasks that will be completed. I also discuss the work to be done by he client and the time scales for completing that work.		Ad Hoc consultancy: I also provide a pure consultancy business continuity service whereby clients can use days or part days to bring expert advice and skills to an in-house team. Typically, my skills can be used in this way during planning, interviewing and workshop sessions and for providing templates and then proof reading documents prepared by clients.
Elapse Time: Elapse time is usually three or four times the number of consulting days, or in-house project days. This presumption allows time for organising client staff availability for meetings and preparation and gathering of information for inclusion in the report and plans.	Conclusion: My unique and flexible approach, coupled with the rare and valuable hands-on ICT track record combining information technology skills with business acumen amounts to an enviable recipe for success. I believe that I offer the leading industry package for cost effective business continuity planning, whatever your business.