IT Governance Blog on IT governance, risk management, compliance and information security.

Business owners have been returning to their flood-damaged properties in Cumbria this week to assess the damage after unprecedented rainfall prompted some of the country’s worst ever flooding.

The full extent of the damage caused by these floods will not be known for some time; but it’s estimated that flood claims could exceed £100m!

Business owners and managers, upon viewing the devastating scenes broadcast on television during the floods, will be questioning how their organisation would cope in similar circumstances and, for the sake of their very survival, will ensure adequate business continuity plans are put in place.

It sometimes takes a disaster like this to remind people of the very real threat that organisations face and the possible implications which could result if not fully prepared.

Remember: Simply having a Business Continuity Plan in place doesn’t mean you are safe!

Shareholders, customers and other stakeholders generally ‘assume’ that you have a business continuity plan in place and that you’re fully prepared for any eventuality. In the real world, even the best business continuity plan cannot ensure that you will be able to deliver ‘Business As Normal service levels’ to all of your customers in face of a disaster.

Many organisations which adopt best practice in business continuity management, such as BS25999, work with their customers during the “Planning” stage of the Plan, Do, Check, Act (PDCA) cycle and agree in advance on acceptable service levels or product range output in face of a serious business dis-continuity.

This is a good way to manage expectations and to identify what your customers priorities are, so you can plan to meet them, rather than guessing, getting it wrong and destroying key relationships.

There is a lot of helpful information about Business Continuity Management & BS25999 on our website, and we have lots of useful tools available to help you implement a BCMS successfully, including the BCM & BS25999 Implementation Set.

In addition, we have BS25999 Training Courses available throughout the year, and our Consultancy Services will be invaluable in helping you move project along.