Running head: BUSINESS CONTINUITY MANAGEMENT 1

Business Continuity Management

Author
Institution
BUSINESS CONTINUITY MANAGEMENT
!or e"ery organi#ation a $usiness %ontinuity &ead'manager has a (aramount ro&e to (&ay in
&eading the $usiness to re%o"ery) (&anning *or disaster (re(aredness) o**ering su((ort in term o*
e+(ertise in &i"e e"ent, Other $asi% tas- o* %ontinuity manager in%&udes %risis management) and
%ontingen%y (&anning, In addition) a organi#ation %ontinuity manager %ondu%ts) maintains and
%ommuni%ates $usiness im(a%t ana&ysis and $usiness %ontinuity &i*e%y%&e (&anning, The manager
.uanti*ies and a&so identi*ies the (ossi$&e im(a%t o* di**erent disaster s%enarios and disru(tion,
!urthermore) a $usiness %ontinuity manager monitors ho/ a $usiness is %om(&ying to the
%ontinuity (ro%ess and ma-es re(orts on e+er%ise resu&t and any e"ents o%%urring, In doing this
the manager is a$&e to su((ort the $usiness dea&ings /ith the go"ernment regu&ators and auditors
in matters re&ated to $usiness %ontinuity, The other -ey ro&e o* %ontinuity manager is de"e&o(ing)
enhan%ing and disseminating data on the (ro%ess o* %ontinuity initiati"es and standards thus
o**ering em(&oyees de&i"ery training on ho/ to su((ort $usiness %ontinuity,
As the ne/&y hired $usiness %ontinuity manager *or the hea&th%are %om(any my duties in
the $usiness /i&& $e &eading the hea&th%are (&anning e**orts and the de"e&o(ing the %ontinuity
strategy) managing the %ontinuity (rogram *or the $usiness, Additiona&&y I /i&& $e %arrying out
ana&ysis and resear%h on ne/ regu&atory %hanges o%%urring in the hea&th se%tor, I /i&& *urther
%oordinate and %o&&a$orate /ith the management and %ontinuity (&anning /ith head o**i%e and
su$sidiaries, In times o* e"ent disaster my duties /i&& in%&ude &eading re%o"ery initiati"e and
%ontro&&ing %risis, O"erseeing (ro0e%ts and day1to1day *un%tion and (er*orming ris- ana&ysis is
another o$&igation $esto/ed on me as the %ontinuity manager 23atters) 4145,
The (ro%ess o* $usiness %ontinuity /or-s in three (hase6s in%ident management) $usiness
%ontinuity and re%o"ery, In in%ident management as the %ontinuity manager I /i&& ha"e to a%t
/ithin minutes or hours *o%using on (riorities) assessing the damage and (eo(&e /e&*are n order
BUSINESS CONTINUITY MANAGEMENT 7
to minimi#e the damage, Business %ontinuity the management (&an here is to *o%us on the
restoration o* %riti%a& a%ti"ities that /ere in one /ay or the other a**e%ted, This %an $e done
/ithin hours or days, The re%o"ery in"o&"es re(&a%ement) re&o%ation) insuran%e %ost re%o"ery or
sim(&y re(airs and is usua&&y %ondu%t /ithin /ee-s or months,
There are t/o ty(es o* in%iden%e that might o%%ur in an organi#ation minor in%ident
/hi%h are disru(tion or interru(tion that %ause disru(ti"e and demands $usiness %ontinuity
im(&ementation, Ma0or in%ident re.uires ma0or in%ident (&ans and are *o%used on &arge s%a&e
e"ents, In this %ause as the %ontinuity manager to so&"e this (ro$&ems I /ou&d ha"e to %ome u(
ma0or in%ident team and %on%entrate on urgent (riorities,
Initiati"e a%ti"ities *or the hea&th %are in%&ude %reating a/areness to the surrounding
%ommunity a$out the %om(any and /hat it o**ers, The reason /hy this is im(ortant is $e%ause
e"en the hea&th%are is the on&y one (ro"iding hea&th ser"i%es in the area in*orming (eo(&e a$out
the ser"i%es the hea&th%are is (ro"iding is im(ortant, Mar-eting in this %ase %an $e done "ia the
internet) (&a%ing ad"ert in &o%a& (u$&i%ations and use o* $i&&$oards,
Another a%ti"ity is &aying ground/or- *or su%%ess, This is done $y ha"ing measura$&e
goa&s su%h as a%hie"ing the $udget target) satis*ying %ustomers e+(e%tan%e) %om(&ying /ith
go"ernment regu&ation, Thus) it is im(ortant to %&ear&y de*ine the (riorities *or su%%ess in order to
redu%e *rustrations 2Sneda-er) 4485,
Identi*i%ation o* $usiness degree o* *reedom) dri"ers and %onstraint: this means that the
medium heath %are /i&& ha"e to $a&an%e its *un%tiona&ity in terms o* sta**ing) .ua&ity ser"i%es)
%ost and s%hedu&e, Sin%e not a&& *a%tors %an $e dri"ers nor %onstraints the %ontinuity manager I
/i&& ha"e to $e *&e+i$&e in %ase there is demand *or *un%tiona&ity in%rease and sta** turno"er,
BUSINESS CONTINUITY MANAGEMENT 9
Bui&ding the *oundation is a&so another high &e"e& a%ti"ity ne%essary in starting the
%ontinuity initiati"e in the right dire%tion, The reason /hy some $usiness *ai&s is *ai&ure to ta-e
ho&isti% a((roa%h needed *or %om(&ete im(&ementation o* %ontinuity %u&ture, To im(&ement a
%u&ture o* %ontinuity it is (aramount to %om(rehend the %hange in management (rin%i(&e the -ey
a%ti"ities in"o&"ed %reating urgen%y) %reating a %hange in "ision) %ommuni%ating the "ision and
e&imination o* $arriers,
:e*ining im(ortant $usiness (ro%ess is another signi*i%ant a%ti"ity as it in"o&"es ha"ing
%&ear and agreed understanding o* $usiness o$0e%ti"es, !or e+am(&e the strategi% (ro%esses may
in"o&"e understanding %&ients and other sta-eho&der) de"e&o(ing o$0e%ti"es managing ris-s and
de*ining stru%ture and resour%es needed, The $usiness (ro%ess %&assi*i%ation is $ran%hed into
(ro%esses the $usiness (ro%ess and su((ort (ro%ess, The $usiness (ro%ess in"o&"es monitoring
the ser"i%es) de&i"er ser"i%es and design ser"i%es /hi&e us the su((ort (ro%esses in%&ude the
*inan%e resour%e management) (hysi%a& resour%es management) human resour%es management
and ICT management,
The $arriers *or this initiati"e ma-e in di**erent *orms and it is im(ortant to -no/ ho/ to
mitigate this %ha&&enges one o* this $arriers is re&u%tan%e to ado(t to ne/ (ro%edures, This
$eha"ior mani*est itse&* through indi"idua&s ha"ing (ro$&ems /ith %hanging their mind set, This
ma-es them resistant to %hange and may (ause %ha&&enge to $usiness %ontinuity initiati"e, Other
$arriers in%&ude insu**i%ient regu&ation) 0o$ se%urity *ears inade.uate initiati"e and /i&& *rom the
e+e%uti"e, To hand&e this $arriers e**e%ti"e %ommuni%ation %an $e used, This shou&d $e used
a&ong /ith (utting the interest o* the organi#ation *irst, Integrity is "ery im(ortant in e"ery
organi#ation as it is the g&ue that ho&d &eaders together /ith the em(&oyees 2Bangs) 1;;<5,
BUSINESS CONTINUITY MANAGEMENT <
Re*eren%e
Bangs) :, =, 21;;<5, The business planning guide: Creating a plan for success in your own
business, Chi%ago) I&&: U(start >u$, Co,
Sneda-er) S, 24485, Business continuity & disaster recovery for IT professionals, Bur&ington)
MA: Syngress,
3atters) ?, 24145, The business continuity management desk reference: Guide to business
continuity planning, crisis management & IT disaster recovery, Northam(ton: @e"erage
>u$,