At Gen-i, we have developed a step-by-step BCP process that helps us assess the impact on our clients’ business of various adverse scenarios and develop specific solutions to mitigate those impacts. This process begins with identifying risks and settling on a strategy to counter to those risks, including making the business case for the entire BCP process.

From there we work with our clients to develop a comprehensive Business Continuity Plan, including an IT Disaster Recovery Plan, an IT Services Continuity Management Plan, and a Crisis Management Plan. Only then do we get stuck into implementation.

In many instances, we can minimise the impact on our clients business by building added resiliency into their ICT systems, mirroring their data to one of our secure data centres, or providing seamless failover via our XT network for voice, data, and internet services.

For instance, in the immediate aftermath of the tragic Canterbury earthquake of 22 February, Gen-i assisted Noel Leeming Group to temporarily migrate core ICT systems from the earthquake damaged building hosting its Christchurch data centre to its Auckland data centre. 

One of the first steps we often recommend when preparing a client’s ICT platform to handle major and minor interruptions of service is virtualisation, which places a layer of separation between hardware and the software running on it. This enables quicker and easier disaster recovery plus a range of other business efficiencies.

From virtualisation, it’s a short step to Gen-i cloud computing solutions – such as our ReadyCloud Server and ReadyCloud Backup services – that can guarantee quick and reliable disaster recovery for critical ICT systems. Our unique process for integrating cloud services into a client’s ICT framework – called 'Pathway to Cloud' – goes hand-in-hand with BCP because it pinpoints where weaknesses exist and enables us to design them out of ICT infrastructure.

Regardless of what specific solutions your BCP calls for, robust and detailed testing under simulated conditions is essential to reveal many hitherto unforeseen weak points in your planning. During testing of our own BCP, for instance, we discovered that the stairwells in our building lacked emergency lighting, which seriously delayed our evacuation procedures.

We also encountered a potential failure point that many businesses do not foresee in their planning. If the power and telephone networks aren’t working, and all your workers switch to mobile devices, how do they recharge those devices in four or five hours' time?

Finally, the last step of the process is to integrate BCP into your business processes so that your plan is constantly consulted and updated whenever any changes are made to your business or its ICT framework.

At the end of the day, BCP is like insurance – you might never need it but you can’t afford not to have it. Although you can’t plan for every contingency, BCP is still an essential process every business should undertake before disaster strikes.

The good news is that this process is not just an opportunity to safeguard your business from threats, but it can also be an opportunity to make your business work more efficiently.