Business continuity is a proactive management plan to avoid and reduce the risks that are associated with disruption of operations. Anything is possible when it comes to your business, no matter how hard you try to keep things moving smoothly. Business continuity draws on plain common sense and keeps organizations on course, in spite of the hurdles in its way. Continuity plans detail every step that needs to be taken before, during, and after an event to maintain the viability of an organization. Disaster recovery, on the other hand, is a reactive plan put in place after an event.
Business continuity identifies essential services and products and ensures a strategic plan to keep those assets intact, even during the most trying times. It creates resilience in business operations. Resilience is the ability to continue production and delivery at acceptable predefined levels following a disruptive event.
Every company should have a recovery mechanism that will restore operations after failure. Team members should not be scrambling around frantically for solutions after the disruptive event has occurred; this would result in precious time being lost and an interruption in productivity and customer service.
As managers look toward bolstering business continuity, they should identify all potential threats to operations, including natural and man-made disasters. They should also instill in their employees an acute awareness of the need to stick to standard procedures in order to minimize problems.
One major cause of disruption that is common during hurricane season is a power outage. Though they can’t always be predicted, power outages happen enough that businesses should be ready for them. Having a standby industrial powered generator is a smart safeguard against the disruptive effects of power outages.
