Risk Management and Business Continuity

Business continuity is a mechanism in which organisations and businesses work in the aftermath of a disaster (Rouse & Sullivan, 2016). The key aspect of a business continuity requirement is to keep the business going after the disaster, enabling the industry to recover in a minimum of time.
Business continuity, regardless of size, is necessary for any organization; it cannot be fair for all companies except for big companies. To ensure that all parts of an organization are kept functional during the tragedy in the big business, the experts say that the team should first decide on which body’s services are essential and then allocate the available budget appropriately once the crucial components are known. (Rouse & Sullivan, 2016)
Business continuity in an organization involves; building and improving resilience in business, identifying the key products, activities and most important services that undermine them. Once the analysis is complete, it is important to devise a plan and strategies that will enable the business to recover efficiently and effectively from any disruption regardless of the size or cause .this gives the business organization a solid framework to learn on in times of crisis and provide stability and security for the firm. (Business Continuity Institute, 2014).
Business can face several disasters such as fire, diseases outbreak, cyber-attacks and freezing temperature among other threats. For example, Florida citrus industry has been reported to have encountered freezing temperatures during the 20th century, but it has continued to operate because of the new groves that have been planted further south after each freeze. The report also shows that citrus plantation has enabled the industry to produce more than 8,000 citrus growers cultivating almost 550,000 acres of land in Florida, and nearly 76,000 other people working in the citrus industry and related businesses.( Business Continuity Institute, 2014)
Citrus growers in Florida, Texas, and California have suffered from a variety of diseases and pests over the years, of which none has been a threat like the one they face currently with citrus greening diseases. It is about nine years since this was confirmed to be in Florida. It has affected a good part of the United States and has led to a serve decline in the production of oranges, tangerine and grapes fruits. Now the question is how longer would citrus industry in Florida survive? At this point, we say that the sector is under threat, and if care and proper planning to manage the disaster is not taken then the industry might collapse in few years’ time. (Allen, 2015)
The Florida citrus industry needs to conduct an impact analysis study on the business to reveal the possible weaknesses as well as the implications of this disaster on the industry in general. This report will inform the production management of the critical functions and systems needs to be prioritized for the business to continue operating. Therefore the Florida citrus industry should draw a business continuity program plan that involves the following key elements; resilience performance, recovery, and contingency (Allen, 2015)
A company can improve its resistance by drawing critical functions and infrastructures from various disaster possibilities in mind; this can include plant rotation, maintaining the surplus capacity of fruits. The planning will help the business to ensure prosperity against different accidents that enables the company to provide essential services without interruption. (Gregory, 2013)
A quick recovery to restore the business is functional after a disaster is inevitable; this process involves setting recovery time objectives for various systems that can help prioritize which elements have priority. For instance, the Florida citrus company should strategize on how to recover first from fruit infection. The strategy should involve replacement of the fruit varieties planted, or relocating to a new region that can support the growth of citrus fruits, oranges, and grapefruit. The planning strategy will help the company to continue surviving.
A business enterprise can draw a contingency plan that provides procedures for various external situations and includes a series of commands that ensure proper distribution of responsibilities within the business organization. For example, if the citrus industry can draw a contingency plan then they could be in a position to survive longer than expected.
Considering the number of threats that organizations face today, it may be surprising that some of the business organizations are unprepared for a business affecting emergencies. The disaster recovery preparedness Council has found that nearly three-quarters of the organizations worldwide are not protecting their data and systems which is one of the business continuity failures. The potential consequences of not having business continuity management program are danger ace, however, if your business does not take your plan seriously then you are facing a greater business continuity risk, which includes; business failure, injury, and death, financial loss, tarnished reputation and lost productivity among others. (Britton, 2016)
Business companies and industries that are not prepared adequately for disaster situations cannot survive in case of a catastrophe. Research shows that about 70% of businesses fail within three years or so after a major disaster because of lack of business continuity management program. But those with continuity planning recover very fast after a catastrophe.
When a plan is not made to mitigate the additional financial damages, the emergencies and crisis that arise might be extremely costly to business. Response to a crisis can have an enormous impact on the company’s reputation, and it is important to be ready. (Britton, 2016)
Having an apparently planned disaster recovery program can prevent many problems that are experienced by many companies and business organizations in times of disaster. This plan should concisely outline steps to be taken by each person involved in the recovery effort. The business group should be able to take minimal time in the recovery such that it does not interfere with their normal business activities. Therefore it is important to carefully out a disaster recovery plan and should be regularly updated (Blokdjik, 2008).
Disaster recovery is the key factor that distinct the organizations that can properly manage a disaster with minimal cost and effort. However, there are those businesses that are left spending an untold length of time, what cost providers will decide to charge them, this result to an organization making a decision out of desperation.
In a natural situation for example in a company, a safety of your employees, visitors, and other individuals is imperative, and businesses that use traditional planning methods usually fail to effectively communicate to their stakeholders during an emergency which leaves them unable to respond appropriately to the situation at hand.
The study shows that in 2014, 78% of companies lost one or more missions critical to an application at some point, and 28% missed the use of a data center for more than a week. This kind of significant disruption has brought a lot of effect in many organizations, slowing down their productivity and damaging various aspects of businesses.
Today some of growing organizations have incorporated mobile technology into their businesses continuity planning, which has enabled them to reach their employees and stakeholders well through their phones or tablets. Therefore the crisis response team can send alerts and updates in time as the crisis unfolds, which helps to protect individuals from dangerous situations and direct them to safety. (Britton, 2016)
The key elements of any disaster recovery program are to help the organization maintain its business continuity with minimize damage and to reduce if not prevent the loss. It is, therefore clear that any organization or a business enterprise require a business continuity plan to recover from the myriad of threats they may encounter. But it is not wise enough to draw a plan and then store it where no one can make use of it in a case of a disaster.
Today many types of research have shown that a good number of companies do not pay much interest in preparing a disaster recovery plan. Failure to have this kind of layout has seen many businesses fail or even stop operating entirely. The need to develop a robust recovery program still competes with multiple organization priorities, which is the primary source of the downfall for these groups.
Therefore companies must be prepared all the time such that the case of a crisis they will be able to survive the catastrophe and not omitting any process that might leave the team vulnerable to the threat. The recovery guidelines will help the enterprise to face the pre-crisis phase before confronting the real crisis itself. In certain cases, the company can decide to employ professional analysts to assist them in the analysis of the threat whenever it arises.
It is, therefore, an advisable for any organization to have the recovery plan and also train their employees on how to deal with the situation and use the group resources properly.

References

Allen, G. (2015, November 27). How long can Florida's citrus industru survive. The Salt. Retrieved from http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2015/11/27/457424528/how-long-can-floridas-citrus-industry-survive
Blokdijk, G. (2008). Disaster recovery 100 success secrets-IT business continuity, disaster recovery planning and services. Emereo Pty Ltd.
Britton, C. (2016, May 18). Risk and cost of not having a business continuity management program. Retrieved from Rock Doves Solutions: https://www.rockdovesolutions.com/blog/risk-costs-of-not-having-a-business-continuity-management-program
Gregory, P. H. (2013). IT disaster recovery planning for dummies. Hoboken, N.J: John Wiley & Sons .
Introduction to business continuity. (n.d.). Retrieved April 26, 2017, from Business continuity institute: http://www.thebci.org/index.php/training-education/coursefinder/find-a-course/event/1513-the-bci-introduction-to-business-continuity
Rouse, M., & Sullivan, E. (n.d.). Business continuity. Retrieved April 26, 2017, from Search Disaster Recovery: http://searchdisasterrecovery.techtarget.com/definition/business-continuity