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Role Of Information Technology In Business Continuity.

Michael Ogolor
IT Consultant

Role Of Information Technology In Business Continuity

In a hurry? Can't read now?

Role Of Information Technology In Business Continuity

Business Continuity

Information Technology & Business Continuity: Many businesses have ceased to operate in Nigeria today due to a lack of continuity. For example, if a business/company owner passes away or suffers a severe injury resulting in serious circumstances and hospitalization, the next of kin or children of the said individual are unable to continue running the business/company due to a lack of knowledge and vital information.

In an information technology-driven age and society, a successful business and the competitiveness of a modern organization requires optimal, relevant, and long-term strategies to assuring the ongoing operation of critical business operations. Obviously, a short-term breakdown of the client system might result in significant financial losses for large companies and can be deadly for a small business.

The major responsibility of management is to organize the company’s business operations so that they do not come to a halt when crucial or unmanageable conditions arise, and that all processes be resumed as quickly as feasible.

Business continuity management is a holistic management process that identifies potential threats to an organization, assesses potential implications for business operations, and implements processes and strategies that establish the foundation for the organization’s ability to recover and effectively respond to incidents, ensuring that key stakeholders’ interests, reputation, brand, and value creation are not harmed or lost.

The process of continuity management, according to the standard BS 25999-1:2006 “Business continuity management. Part 1: a practical guide,” entails managing the recovery and continuation of business activities in the event of a business course violation, as well as managing a total program of business continuity by providing training, exercises, and analysis to keep business continuity plan(s) up to date.

Role Of Information Technology In Business Continuity

In a hurry? Can't read now?

Role Of Information Technology In Business Continuity

The Role of Information Technology

The contemporary realities of conducting business makes it impossible to separate the process of managing the organization’s continuity from the process of maintaining the organization’s information security. The level of managements’ understanding of the need of implementing solutions linked to information protection and information security determines the safety of a company’s functioning.

It is clear that the cost of systems deployment and software to support information security will vary depending on the size and scope of the organization; nonetheless, any organization can identify the essential and recommended set of systems, software, and tools. Access and permission controls to confidential information must be based on staff levels, which is an important part of this procedure.

Password protection, two-factor authentication, and other forms and processes of access control should be second nature to all employees, and they must be aware of the consequences of access control system and protocol violations. The deployment of such a system will lessen the risk of data leakage and make user behaviors easier to manage.

These systems and procedures should be adaptable enough to allow for the addition, removal, or adjustment of access control permissions for employees. Reliable monitoring and alerting mechanisms should be included to allow for quick response if necessary.

Both physically and digitally, corporate files and related documents should be appropriately archived. The digital aspect is even more significant. This allows you to access critical files and papers when you’re away from the office.

Digitizing your files and related business records also enables you to quickly reconstruct and resume operations in the event of a natural disaster, a fire breakout, document misplacement, or even theft. These electronic records and procedures should be backed up and saved in both physical and cloud storage. Backups of systems and server configurations are also recommended for a faster redeployment procedure.

Furthermore, all backed up data and configurations should be properly validated and verified against the originals to ensure their integrity and accessibility. This ensures that you do not attempt a redeployment from your backup system only to discover that the files were not correctly duplicated or became corrupted when you need them.

In addition to everything that has been discussed above, it is critical that entrepreneurs and sole proprietors who have established viable businesses that are thriving and adding value to lives and other businesses have a plan and process in place for their next of kin, children, sibling, relative, or whomever you have deemed capable of taking over management should you become incapable of continuing. This means that important processes, vision, mission, activities, schedules, plans, strategies, goals/targets, achievements, and milestones must be properly documented across all corporate levels/departments.

This practice of business continuity is what has allowed small firms and brands to grow into huge enterprises with worldwide reach. Coca-cola, Google, Promasidor, Walt Disney Company, and Apple are examples of modest brands/businesses that have grown into huge enterprises with global relevance as a result of business continuity implementation. I’m sure you can come up with a few more.

Role Of Information Technology In Business Continuity

Role Of Information Technology In Business Continuity

In Conclusion

Finally, on the subject: of “Role Of Information Technology In Business Continuity”, depending on the size and structure of your organization/business, this process can be easy or difficult. As a business, make sure you do what you need to do, pay for professional aid, and hire skilled individuals to assist you with this process. This might be a costly undertaking. Make sure you do your homework, plan ahead, identify suitable staff, develop a budget, and don’t be hesitant to ask questions or seek assistance.

“We entrepreneurs are outcasts, wanderers, and troublemakers.” Finding and surrounding oneself with those open-minded and smart beings who can put our lunacy to good use is all it takes to succeed.” — The Body Shop’s founder, Anita Roddick.

You can’t do everything yourself. And if you try, you risk burnout.

Successful entrepreneurs are those who are able to identify their weaknesses and address that by hiring specialists.

Do what’s right for your business now and you’ll be taking care of its future.

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