A Business Continuity Plan (BCP) is crucial to building your business resilience, especially in the face of disruptions and uncertainties that arise. According to Accenture’s 2021 Global Risk Management Study, approximately 77% of risk leaders perceive a rapid increase in complex, interconnected risks at a higher rate than usual. Furthermore, 83% of risk managers updated their business continuity plans in the past 12 months. In tandem, the business world has also seen increased transitions to Anywhere Operations since 2020, where staff anywhere can serve customers located everywhere. Let's discuss how you can modify and improve your business continuity plan to better support Anywhere Operations.
Benefits of Anywhere Operations
Anywhere Operations delivers several advantages:
- Cost Savings: With your staff working from home and other locations, you significantly reduce your physical facility expenses. These cost savings can be as much as $11,000 annually for every remote worker that telecommutes half of the time.
- A Diverse Talent Pool: You can hire people from around the globe as there are no geographical restrictions. Recruiting becomes a seamless process as it’s easy to post jobs, review applications, shortlist, conduct interviews, and hire top talent.
- Reduce Time-Consuming Meetings: Anywhere Operations focuses on intentional teleconferencing invitations to eliminate unnecessary meetings. You also avoid any delays in scheduling people from different departments into one physical meeting room.
- Improved Productivity: Remote workers have greater autonomy, fewer workplace distractions, and work during their most effective hours. Although people working remotely take more breaks, this helps them be more focused and productive.
Adapt Your Business Continuity Plan for Anywhere Operations
Let's explore a few tips to modify your business continuity plan and empower your teams to work from anywhere while serving your customers worldwide:
1. Guidelines for Remote Work & Telecommuting
It is crucial to account for adverse events in your business continuity plan. A hybrid workforce contributes to any organization's ability to be responsive to unexpected change. Companies operating with a hybrid work model will experience less operational impact from disruptive events. Even post-pandemic, a hybrid workforce will be the new normal of work. Therefore, your business continuity plan should at least outline a remote or hybrid contingency. If your operations requires on-site personnel, it's important to establish who is essential and non-essential in your BCP so everyone can pivot quickly and seamlessly as needed.
2. IT Infrastructure for Your Distributed Workforce
With remote teams working from anywhere, your operations requires a stellar IT infrastructure to support your business. Network connectivity and ISP reliability are essential for Anywhere Operations. Your business continuity plan should consider every IT infrastructure need and the support necessary for your team to work from anywhere. Your plan should account for several key areas, including:
- The requisite technology and training for your staff
- Increased VPN capability for secure network access and navigation
- Updated IT policies to facilitate employees taking company devices home
- A policy that outlines acceptable use of company technology
4. Cloud & Collaboration Tools to Increase Productivity
Disruptive events in recent years have presented many lessons, and chief among them: being able to communicate and collaborate in real-time. Cloud tools are critical for implementing Anywhere Operations as most collaboration software relies on cloud technology. Collaboration tools exist to effectively generate productivity gains for remote workers. Your business continuity plan should include these tools to ensure that your teams remain connected and productive in every circumstance.
5. Effective Cybersecurity Strategies
The increase in remote work has also increased the risks of costly data breaches (an average of $4.24 million per breach). The best business continuity plan includes software, hardware, and training to keep your IT security robust. Some key cybersecurity strategies include:
- Updated IT policies and procedures to manage current risks
- Regular security awareness training to minimize human errors and vulnerabilities
- Compliance training to maintain regulations, legislation, and policies associated with your operations
- Incident response drills to ensure that your plan is optimal, up-to-date, and effective
6. Update Risk Management Processes
A comprehensive and responsive business continuity plan helps with risk mitigation. Risk awareness is crucial as you update your plan to account for new risks and requirements arising from Anywhere Operations. Effective risk management ensures that your plan safeguards your core business processes for profitability and longevity.
Your IT Partner for a Resilient Business Continuity Plan
Do you need help to enhance your organization’s BCP? Net Friends is a leading managed IT services provider offering diverse solutions for businesses of all sizes. Our team of experts will assess your company’s risk profile and outline customized risk management strategies. Contact us today to learn how we can work with you and your teams to ensure your business resilience and longevity.
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At Net Friends, we believe in the power of human expertise. While we leverage AI to enhance our content and processes, all blog posts are written and edited by our knowledgeable staff. You can trust you are getting insights directly from our team.