Top Five Reasons to Use Web-Based Business Continuity Plans
Posted on Mon, Jan 09, 2012
In business continuity, the concept of identification of critical business processes and equipment is often discussed. However, the ability to access important documents is often overlooked. Some companies even choose to store emergency response plans in binders. What would you if you experienced a catastrophic loss and could not access these important documents?
Numerous companies that have business continuity plans are evolving from paper-based e plans to web-based planning systems to ensure access to critical information during an emergency. Disasters and emergencies can instantly eliminate any trace of hard copy plans that are not properly backed-up and accessible off-site. Companies could lose access to the necessary information and tools that enable recovery of critical business processes.
A business continuity plan identifies the critical processes and how to recover these processes following loss of infrastructure. Some of these critical processes rely on specific data. By transitioning from paper-based business continuity plans to a web-based approach, companies have the ability make the plans more accessible to both internal and external stakeholders.
Some benefits of a web-based business continuity system include:
1. Efficiency: Eliminates repetitive updates of duplicate information within multiple plans.
2. Instantaneous Updates: Revised information is immediately available to all stakeholders.
3. Accessibility of plans: In the event of an emergency, updated paper plans are typically not available from other locations. Although some companies post electronic plans to their intranet, which can be accessed remotely, the process of updating these plans is time-consuming and inefficient. In addition, a catastrophic event may render company servers inaccessible.
4. Superior functionality: Web-based plans can provide hyperlinks, forms libraries, simplified interfaces, and other tools designed to improve functionality for plan users.
5. Multi-purpose data: Typically, business continuity plans share common data with emergency response and other plan types. Web-based, database driven plans utilize one database to manage this information, effectively leveraging plan revision efforts to all plans that utilize that data.
For tips and best practices on designing a crisis management program, download Best Practices for Crisis Management.
