You’ve drawn up your business continuity plan, you’ve even tested it…now you need to make some changes and put them into practice.
So, how do you do that?
One of the best ways is to work towards achieving the internationally agreed standard for business continuity, ISO 22301, which helps organisations across the world ensure they can keep business operations running during a crisis.
There are many benefits to adopting the standard. Your business becomes more resilient and secure as the risks are reduced, you improve your relationships with customers, staff, and other stakeholders, it helps you trim operating costs and win more business from partners who are reassured you’ll be able to cope with the work, and it will help you comply with your legal obligations.
Achieving ISO 22301 is a win-win scenario!
The main plus point is the preparedness within your business for all sorts of threats, from the next pandemic to disruptive technology within your industry, from the loss of infrastructure or assets to dealing with a catastrophic systems failure.
The businesses which have survived COVID-19 are those which adapted quickly to the new situation and were able to solve their customers’ problems even during a lockdown. For example, closed bookshops became online sellers mailing out books to readers, dine-in restaurants developed takeaway services, business networking organisations took their networking to Zoom, actors began selling video greetings online, and closed comedy clubs organised online gigs.
Having a detailed business continuity plan allows a business to move quickly from crisis to solution.
It also allows your business to identify the potentially lucrative opportunities which might arise from change.
How does ISO 22301 help you stay within the law?
Understanding and recording the risks your business faces help you comply with legislation governing areas including health and safety, human resources, and environmental pollution.
One of the most important areas is the way it helps you comply with the General Data Protection Regulation’s rules about the storage and use of personal data such as customer names and banking details.
Identifying the data you hold, where it is held, what your security systems are, and what risks you face will help you prevent a potentially costly data breach.
It helps you identify a process for ensuring your data remains secure even if there is a server failure or cyber attack.
What can you use to keep your plan up to date?
Ensuring all staff can view your plan in compliance software like Mango, and see any documents or certificates they need wherever they are, is an excellent way of making sure everyone is involved in the process.
This is especially important now that many staff are working from home or working between different sites.
This sort of software makes communicating any changes easy, and it allows you to update your plan with results from your regular testing.
If you’re interested in streamlining your business continuity plan, book your Mango demonstration here to find out more. If you need more information, please call us on 029 2070 3328 or email us on info@penarth.co.uk.