Enterprises Urged to Address Business Continuity and DR Plans

Enterprises that are not properly prepared for unexpected interruptions in their businesses–such as power outages, terrorist attacks, server failures, natural disasters and other events–will find their operations jeopardized, profits negatively impacted, and employees potentially placed in peril. To avoid and minimize such threats, it is vital for enterprises to evaluate their business continuity and disaster recovery (BCDR) strategies now, according to MIR3, Inc., a provider of Intelligent Notification (IN) systems to enterprises, universities and government organizations.

"Managing business continuity is not an easy feat; however, enterprises must make it a priority," stated Amir Moussavian, president and CEO of MIR3. "Instant, two-way communication with employees and administration can be the difference between success and failure when it comes to execution of a business continuity or disaster recovery plan. Additionally, companies that invest in alert systems are finding added value, using the technology to communicate with traveling employees about business challenges, manage correspondence with clients and receive and interpret real-time feedback from recipients."

A March 2008 report published by the Aberdeen Group encourages companies of all sizes to review, test and implement BCDR plans. To gather the metrics for its paper, Aberdeen surveyed more than 150 organizations about their BCDR plans and needs. The study indicated that 76 percent of companies that currently maintain a BCDR plan said risk of business interruption was the primary factor driving them to implement the plans. Furthermore, the report pointed out that while 62 percent of the companies surveyed experienced between one and five business interruption events in the last 12 months, 34 percent said they still did not have a BCDR strategy.

"Our study stated that, on average, businesses indicated their operations were interrupted by an unforeseen event for approximately four hours," said Jeffery Hill, senior research analyst, data management and storage practice at Aberdeen Group. "The amount of time that it takes to recover from a four-hour server outage can cause business losses disproportionate to the size of the event in terms of lost revenue or data. Since enterprises can be severely set back by such unforeseen disruptions, it is necessary for them to plan ahead and address their company’s BCDR needs. Businesses should also consult with vendors to discuss which alert notification system can efficiently send messages to all of their organization’s employees within seconds via text message, cell phone, TTY, SMS and e-mail."