Are you still celebrating that the internet exists, or are you utilizing it to optimize your life and business?
Not to sound harsh, but it’s not hard to spot the non-tech-savvy businesses out there. A simple look at your website alone gives IT experts like myself a good idea of what you consider to be acceptable technology.
However, what’s really important here is that if I can tell, so can hackers with ill intentions. And when the time comes to implement your business continuity plan, your soft spots become even more vulnerable.
This is why cybersecurity in business continuity planning is so important and should include the following:
- Define your business impact analysis
- Prepare employees for your business continuity process
- Don’t assume that a cyber insurance policy will mitigate cyber threats
- Understand the difference between planning for business continuity versus disaster recovery
- Perform cybersecurity risk assessments
- Avoid downtime with a crisis communication plan that includes incident response
- Keep a watchful eye by continuously monitoring your network
7 Ways To Prepare Your Business Continuity Plan With Strong Cybersecurity Solutions
Take proactive steps to protect your business by integrating cybersecurity into your business continuity planning.
Brooks IT Services offers 24/7/365 support by a team of experts. Contact us today to learn more about cybersecurity in business continuity planning and more!
1. Define Your Business Impact Analysis
Business continuity planning is more than just keeping operations running in the event of a disaster. In fact, your business impact analysis (BIA) should play a major role. After all, you don’t want any negative impacts to follow your business once you’re through the disaster.
To define your BIA, consider how cyber threats will impact your business’s:
- Reputation
- Customer service
- Revenue (loss and gain)
- Compliance standards
Your organization may experience long-term residual effects from a cyber crisis. Incorporating your BIA into business continuity planning will help alleviate the potential challenges.
2. Prepare Employees For Your Business Continuity Process
Your entire organization should be fully prepped on your business continuity plan. This means it’s important to monitor your business continuity plan in the on- and off-boarding process. For instance, if every employee has a specific task, make sure to reassign said task if that employee quits or is terminated. Furthermore, ensure new employees receive proper training in their emergency-scenario duties during onboarding.
Moreover, communication is incredibly important in times of crisis. Mitigate your business’s potential downtime with an incident response and crisis communication plan. Including this step in your business continuity planning can save your business time, money, and unnecessary stress.
3. Don’t Assume That A Cyber Insurance Policy Will Mitigate Cyber Threats
Cyber insurance policies are great! Especially with the uptick in cyber threats, it’s definitely worthwhile. However, you shouldn’t simply overlook the value of proactively mitigating cyber risks. Especially since a cyber insurance policy is only helpful after a cyber-related incident occurs.
This is one reason why working with a managed service provider (MSP) who understands small businesses is so important. An MSP familiar with your industry and size of business can most effectively help implement a business continuity plan that incorporates cyber threats.
Many business owners assume that hiring an IT expert who has worked with major organizations is foolproof. Unfortunately, these professionals are more familiar with companies that can distribute tasks across departments. For small businesses like yours, a small business MSP is your best bet.
Brooks IT Services works with small businesses in Houston because we understand their needs and vulnerabilities. Get in touch with BITS today to learn how we can set your business up for success, no matter what disasters lay ahead.
4. Understand The Difference Between Planning For Business Continuity Versus Disaster Recovery
To create a strong business continuity plan, you need to really understand what it entails. For instance, many people confuse business continuity for disaster recovery.
Yes, the two are related, and you should keep disaster recovery in mind while creating your business continuity plan. Moreover, many organizations combine the two processes as a business continuity and disaster recovery plan (BCDR).
However, your disaster recovery plan is what you will follow post-emergency. Consider a hurricane tears through your town and your business is forced to shut down. You would then refer to your disaster recovery plan to get your business back up and running.
Business continuity differs because it is the process of keeping your business running despite an emergency. The triggers of working off either plan may overlap. But a strong business continuity plan may negate the need to reach for your disaster recovery plan.
5. Perform Cybersecurity Risk Assessments
To plan for the worst, you must identify all the different scenarios that may occur in or around your business. The best way to do this is through a cybersecurity risk assessment.
Your MSP can perform a cybersecurity risk assessment to pinpoint your business network’s vulnerabilities. Moreover, your MSP should be able to identify what points are likely to become exposed during a disaster. After all, there’s nothing like an emergency to pull cyber-bullying hackers out of the woodwork!
With a proper cybersecurity risk assessment, you can plan to keep operations running despite a cyber crisis.
6. Avoid Downtime With A Crisis Communication Plan That Includes Incident Response
Uptime is like music to a business owner’s ears. Meanwhile, downtime means loss of time, money, and other resources.
Make sure your business continuity plan includes crisis communication procedures that incorporate incident response. This will help every member of your business, including third party vendors, to know their next steps.
When everyone works together and communication is a priority, your business continuity plan can save your business from unwanted downtime.
7. Keep A Watchful Eye By Continuously Monitoring Your Network
Cybersecurity is never a one-and-done type of deal. Instead, it involves continuously monitoring your network. However, your business requires the expertise of an MSP to properly monitor.
MSPs are professional IT experts and our careers demand that we stay up to date on the latest technologies, trends, and threats. This knowledge allows us to identify problems in our clients’ systems and take proactive steps to address them.
Have Confidence In Your Business Continuity Plan’s Cybersecurity Measures With BITS
Brooks IT Services understands your data is critical to your business’s sustainability and growth.
Falling victim to a hacker can result in a major loss in revenue along with hours, or even days, of downtime. That’s why we take proactive measures to ensure your cybersecurity is up to the challenge, especially when your business continuity plan is triggered. Learn more about what BITS can do for your business. Contact us today!