The IT continuity plan, or how to ensure the proper functioning of the SME

After reading this article, you will be able to better understand:

• What is IT Continuity Planning?
• Its usefulness for SMEs
• The risks of not having one
• Best practices for a successful implementation

The continuity plan for IT services

You probably have a contingency plan that outlines what you should do in the event of an emergency. This is called a business continuity plan, which covers all departments of the company and is essential for any business. If you don't have it in hand, this BDC article will help you learn more.

As IT is a critical and increasingly prevalent function in businesses of all sizes, it is extremely important that your IT department is included in this plan.

IT Continuity Plan: What is it?

An IT continuity plan is a strategic tool that will allow you to clearly establish the procedures to follow in the event of a service interruption. It goes beyond the IT recovery plan (), which is used to quickly get the company back on its feet in the event of a disaster or major unforeseen event. By focusing on high availability, you will be able to designate which services must be recovered and the order of interventions.

While it's considered essential by the IT community, statistics tell a different story. According to a study by Storage Craft, only 30% of American businesses have a detailed IT recovery plan.

Beyond natural disasters and casualties, an IT continuity plan allows a business to quickly recover from a cyberattack () and minimize related costs. Given that SMEs are prime targets for online hackers, focusing on business continuity is of the utmost importance.

Inactivity has a cost

In most cases, when a company's IT services fail, the entire organization is paralyzed. Business downtime is very costly.

Losses due to inactivity are estimated at a minimum of $926 per minute, while for larger companies they can reach over $17,000. That's right, we're talking minutes, not hours.

The IT continuity plan: three key principles

IBM has identified three main aspects related to business continuity and key processes.

First of all, there is high availability , which provides the organization with access to its files and data in the event of system inactivity resulting from hardware or software failure.

Next comes continuous operations , which maintain normal business operations during an IT outage, whether desired or not. This could be a power outage or planned maintenance.

And finally, the concept of recovery comes into play , which aims to establish a method of saving data on an external site, in the event that a major event destroys the main site or renders it inactive.

How to design your IT continuity plan?

As you will have understood, designing an IT continuity plan is a relatively long exercise that requires a lot of application.

We have nevertheless prepared a summary of what should be there:

• Detail of the maximum interruption time objective and the maximum data recording duration that is acceptable to lose
• IT Architecture
• Roles and responsibilities of stakeholders
• Summons Procedures
• Damage Assessment
• Process and system hierarchy flowcharts
• Detailed procedures that specify how to cover each component of the IT infrastructure
• Test plans that specify how to test that each component has been covered
• Incident Reports - Contact Information
• Return procedures
• IT Test Plan

IT Continuity Plan and Recovery Plan: Not Quite the Same

Although these two concepts seem very similar, they are not. In fact, the recovery plan is part of the IT continuity plan, which in turn is part of the IT master plan.

The recovery plan is just one way for businesses to get back on their feet quickly after a disaster, while the continuity plan aims to ensure the continuity of the business's operations.

Nexxo can assist you in designing your IT continuity plan

Being a business owner means you can't do everything at once. If you have any questions or would like assistance with your IT, don't hesitate to contact us. Together, we'll discuss how we can help you implement your IT continuity plan.