Business continuity and crisis management

Introduction

Guide

Unplanned events can devastate businesses. Crises such as fire, flooding or power faults - or outbreaks of flu and other viruses - can make it difficult to carry out the usual business operations. They could see you losing important customers and, at worst, even go out of business altogether.

Business continuity planning can help you prepare for disruption, minimise the potential impact and return to 'business as usual' in the quickest possible time following an incident. The foundation of such contingency planning is the business continuity plan.

This guide will help you to identify potential business crises and carry out a business impact analysis. It will also tell you how to create a business continuity plan, prepare for emergencies and test how your business is likely to cope in a disaster.