If you do not have a business continuity plan (BCP) in place, then think how best to make your organisation or business more resilient while the plan is being developed. Some initial planning and mitigation actions could be undertaken in advance:
- cross-training of skills amongst the workforce
- documenting procedures so that delegated staff can perform unfamiliar tasks
- agree relocation options both within and outside the premises (for instance meeting rooms that could be quickly converted to work areas)
- nominated contingency staff familiarised with any BCP and response planning
- remote access to IT systems in nominated back-up locations or remote working locations (for instance, homes)
- alternative sources of production equipment
- secure off-site storage of data back-ups and important or valuable documentation
- agreed methods for out of hours contacts for staff, suppliers, clients, and so on
- provision of ‘emergency packs’ include key documents and items that may be needed by those who manage from an incident room or work with the emergency services
- agree a communication plan for keeping both internal and external audiences informed in incident