Key Practices - Business Continuity Management
“Containing a crisis is better than recovering from a disaster”
Business Continuity Management (BCM) is a core BRAXXON Business Practice, helping banks and other financial institutions to establish and maintain cost effective business continuity arrangements. Our Total Business Continuity Management methodology covers all aspects of operational resilience, disaster recovery and business continuity planning. It has been developed by reference to BRAXXON’s industry expertise, regulatory requirements and best practice guidance issued by bodies such as the Business Continuity Institute.
BCM encompasses responsibility for ensuring that all material risks (both internal and external) are identified and addressed, that responsibilities for Business Continuity do not lapse, that plans are kept up to date and that effective testing and training is carried out. The state of readiness needs to be maintained and the scope of the planning needs to be subject to regular review, through inclusion in formal change control procedures.
BRAXXON is able to work with a blank canvas to develop and implement a comprehensive BCM infrastructure spanning short, medium and long term contingency requirements. This approach encompasses detailed process and data mapping, business impact, risk and cost/benefit analysis as well as infrastructure recommendations and package/service provider selection where appropriate. For banks with established Business Continuity plans, we offer our Health Check and Test and Training Services.
Business Continuity Health Check
The Health Check is aimed at clients where Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery Plans are already in place and provides an evaluation of the completeness and suitability of the client’s plans and approach to BCM. It also identifies where further testing of plans would be beneficial and where existing plans might be improved.
Health Check deliverables:
Improvements to the quality and effectiveness of documented plans.
- Recommendations to improve the approach to ongoing BCM. Recommendations on the management structures and processes for crisis and recovery management Recommendations on appropriate tests, practice exercises and training to provide meaningful results, while minimising levels of disruption to the business
- Awareness programme to ensure buy-in at all levels within the organisation
BCP Testing and Training
Testing is essential to ensure that the plans can be executed as anticipated and that those people expected to carry out key tasks are familiar with their roles and responsibilities. However, it is rarely practical to conduct a test invoking all contingency arrangements or affecting all elements of the business. Testing must be devised which proves the feasibility of the BCP and increases the state of readiness of the key people responsible for implementing the plan. BRAXXON can recommend the scope of and the approach to testing, including the identification of the different test scenarios to be created.
Deliverables
- Test programme and documented test scripts Measurement of service restoration (speed and accuracy)
- Post mortem to evaluate test results and recommend improvements and/or further testing/training requirements