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Business Continuity Assessment

What is a Business Continuity Assessment?

Disruptions due to natural disasters, cybersecurity attacks and other technical or human hazards can be devastating to an organization. A Business Continuity (BC) Assessment assesses an organization’s current business continuity efforts and scores them using a six-level maturity model. Following the assessment, organizations receive a detailed report, executive summary and meet with a Certified Business Continuity Plan (BCP) Professional to discuss BC findings and identify areas of improvement. 

WIN’s BC Advisory Service is designed to help organizations identify gaps in their business continuity efforts and be better prepared for potential disruptions to their business operations. 

Key components of the Business Continuity Assessment from WIN measure:

  • Program Initiation & Management 
  • Risk Assessment 
  • Business Impact Analysis 
  • Business Continuity Strategies  
  • Incident Response 
  • Plan Development & Implementation 
  • Awareness & Training Programs 
  • Business Continuity Plan Exercise, Assessment & Maintenance 
  • Crisis Communication 
  • Coordination with External Agencies 

Business Continuity Assessment deliverables include:

  • A detailed report and executive support of key BC findings
  • A meeting with a Certified BCP Professional to prioritize findings and identify areas of focus
  • Recommendations for areas to improve current BC maturity scores within target focus areas

FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

Maturity models assist with understanding the level of capabilities and competencies ranging from non-existent to optimized. It’s a powerful way to understand where your organization sits in the range and how to think about what each next step of maturity may involve. It’s a non-judgmental method to describe where you are and make some prioritized decisions about where you may want to improve. 

Common pitfalls include failing to update the plan regularly, not testing the plan adequately, overlooking communication strategies, neglecting the training of employees, and underestimating the resources needed to execute the plan effectively. 

Regular testing and exercises, coupled with thorough training of personnel, are essential to ensure the effectiveness of a business continuity plan. It is recommended to test and review your business continuity plan at least annually or whenever significant changes occur in your organization that could affect your ability to respond to a crisis. After each test or real-life disruption, review and revise the plan to address any shortcomings or changes in the business environment. 

The BC Assessment should be a cross-functional effort involving representatives from all key areas of the organization, including executive leadership, IT, human resources, operations, finance, and any other critical departments. This ensures that the plan comprehensively addresses the needs and functions of the entire organization. 

Related Resources

IT Maturity Assessment

Backup as a Service

Business Continuity Plans

Working With Us

What to expect from a strategic partnership with WIN Technology

Understanding Fit

Our process is collaborative from the start. As we discuss your expectations, we communicate openly, and we keep the promises we make.

Understanding Needs

Through our discovery process, we seek to build an accurate understanding of your needs so that a sound and mutually understandable promise can be made.

Right-Sizing the Effort

The elements of your proposal are refined as your needs become clear. This ensures alignment on the anticipated value of what we commit to deliver to you.

Proving Competency

As we engage in the project, we monitor and discuss status, performance, changes and improvements through our established delivery and communication practices. 

Partnering for the Future

Throughout our partnership, as we keep the promises we have made to you, we enrich the value of services with a continuous focus on practical next steps.