Troubleshooter: Business Continuity

If your business suffers a major disruption, there is a 90 per cent chance it could fold. Find out more about the risks and how to deal with them, and how BT's products and expertise can help beat security threats and boost productivity.

"BCM is no longer an optional activity, it has been pushed well up the business agenda since 9/11." - Lyndon Bird, The BCI

With the arrival of ecommerce, most businesses now operate around the clock. And, for many, several hours or a day of downtime is unacceptable, because of its potentially huge effect on the bottom line.

Fortunately, technology can help maintain the smooth running of a business, providing both risk assessment and assurance. It can ensure that communications and applications carry on operating following an unforeseen event, and that the business continues to function - and recover quickly - in the face of a major incident.

For most businesses this sort of planning is not a core competency, so they will only focus on business continuity when the worst happens and they are hit by an unexpected event. That's a painful lesson to learn.

Threats to business do not have to be as high profile as the Buncefield oil depot explosion near Hemel Hempstead or the London bombings of July 2005. Far more common are major virus and hacker attacks, vandalism and theft, malicious employee activity, fire and flood. Some companies even experienced failure of key IT server equipment as a result of the hot weather this summer.

Your business might not have to cope with fire or flood, but staff illness or an unscheduled customer visit could just as easily cause operational problems. In many cases, it is run-of-the mill events such as rail strikes or major traffic jams that have an impact on business.

It is then up to businesses to deal with the threats which can take up precious time and resources, or hand over the problem to a service provider such as BT, which can offer a range of support services including managing a company's IT and maintaining business continuity.

The Business Continuity Institute regularly carries out research into the effectiveness of Business Continuity Management (BCM) provision. The results always give cause for concern - though many claim to have plans, their depth and scope are usually superficial, and testing regimes limited or non-existent. Other studies show that one in five businesses suffer a major disruption each year. Of those, 80 per cent are out of business in 18 months, and 90 per cent are forced to shut within two years. A major incident can have far-reaching impact. The 9/11 attack affected 58 per cent of UK firms, one in eight seriously.

Research was carried out by The Chartered Management Institute in 2005 to discover how businesses had suffered after experiencing these sorts of situations. Of the businesses surveyed, 41 per cent said they had lost their IT capabilities following the event, with almost a third losing their telecoms. Many lost access to their web sites, while one-tenth suffered disruption to supply chains.

Lyndon Bird, technical services director at the Business Continuity Institute, said, 'Business Continuity Management is no longer an optional activity in major organisations. The growing levels of perceived threat, the documented consequences of not planning and the pressure put on management by corporate governance compliance has pushed BCM well up the business agenda since 9/11.'

Nigel Turnbull, chairman of the Turnbull committee on UK corporate governance, has said: 'For many companies, BCM will address key risks and help them achieve compliance.'

Compliance is a key issue as new legislation, including Basel II, Turnbull, the Data Protection Act and Sarbanes-Oxley, control the storage and regulation of data, particularly in the wake of the Enron scandal.

Indeed, BCM is such an important issue globally that Dame Eliza Manningham-Buller, director-general of MI5, said at a Confederation of British Industry conference, 'I am often asked what single piece of advice I can recommend that would be most helpful to the business community. My answer is a simple but effective business continuity plan that is regularly reviewed and tested.'

This all begs the question: how prepared is your firm for a major incident? Have you evaluated the threats - large and small - to your staff, environment and mechanical processes? And what direction is your business taking? With mobile and teleworking on the rise, what will your IT needs be in the future?

Other areas of preparation focus on whether your business continuity plan is known and circulated internally and the need to have a staff member who is solely responsible for it within the office.

BT has developed a portfolio of services, to meet a range of business continuity requirements regardless of the size of the organisation. These services can scale up as your business grows. For example, you can pick and choose individual products, such as PC Security Check - see PPL (Northwest) Ltd box, right - which tests your computer and provides you with key information on what can help make it more secure. Or, if you use a converged IP network, BT will scale up the IT support you require as it evolves. BT can also help you to identify your business objectives and recovery priorities, and define a business continuity strategy. It can suggest the most cost-effective restoration and recovery strategy for your business in a clearly articulated and comprehensive plan. Above all, by getting the right plan and services in place, BT can ensure that business continuity will help to protect the future of your organisation. Key products include...

Networked IT Assurance

One way in which BT can help your company stay up and running is through its Networked IT Assurance service. This will give you the assurance that your voice and data network will run smoothly and, if required, will be fixed speedily and within an agreed timeframe.

BT draws on its field network of over 1,900 engineers nationwide, the largest of any UK telecoms and ICT supplier, so help is close at hand. Product experts at specialised technical centres use the latest system access facilities to diagnose the cause of faults remotely and fix them more quickly. If you need an engineer on site, BT is just an hour away from most of its UK customers. And whether or not you bought from BT, it can provide support for a range of voice and data networks.

For businesses that want total peace of mind, CustomCare, CustomCare Express, and specified service level agreements mean you can tailor your maintenance cover, including desired response and fix times.

IP Converge

This is a managed service, providing customers with a scalable and flexible IP network designed to evolve as the user requires. It allows customers to connect diverse sites together with a single IP network, and to run their voice and data traffic over the same network.

By managing the service for you, BT leaves you more time to grow the business. In terms of network assurance, you can rest secure that both voice and application traffic is being monitored and managed around the clock. You can also opt for a resilient network by specifying back-up links for your sites. IP Converge is available to small and medium-sized firms and to customers with international sites and includes set-up and management at these locations.

BT Business IT Manager

This is a one-stop shop for IT hardware and support that ensures you enjoy a high level of business continuity. Local expertise is provided to help you decide what's best for your business and a specialist team will solve your technical problems and make your IT work harder for you. Your named representative will be your single point of contact for both the network and the IT, with phone helpdesk1 and engineer back-up if required.

A typical five PC package includes PC, server, set-up and ongoing support from just £37 a month2. Choose from a range of IT services, such as IT Site Manager, which will proactively support and manage your PC and network and will often fix problems before you're even aware of them. A network design and installation service could help you go wireless, and work with you to create an effective network for your business.

BT can supply and set up the latest PCs and servers. The computing hardware and installation can be offered on a contract rental basis, avoiding investment upfront. IT Site Manager has a 90-day customer 'walk away' option, so you don't need to make a long-term commitment.

BT Commsure

BT's Commsure unit has the expert resource to help you with project initiation and management, risk evaluation and control and business impact analysis. BT will help you develop a continuity strategy and even offer walkthroughs and rehearsals in case of major incidents.

In an emergency, speed of recovery defines the level of loss and damage you suffer. An effective business continuity strategy can keep your business running and your customers loyal, whatever happens.

BT Commsure has a UK network of specialist workplace recovery centres, for customers who can't get into their premises following an incident. There you can resume business as quickly as possible and stay open 24 hours a day, every day. You can even create an exact replica of your usual working environment.

BT Commsure also offers IT recovery. With replacement equipment from BT Commsure on hand at minimal notice, you can maintain business as usual.

To keep your business running smoothly call 0800 783 8813

CASE STUDY: PC Security

PPL (NORTHWEST) LTD

Faced with the day-to-day challenges of running a business, print specialist PPL (Northwest) Ltd was concerned for the security of its PCs and local network. Without a dedicated IT specialist, the company had succumbed to a malicious security attack, resulting in missed sales opportunities and delayed projects.

Steve Longworth, sales and marketing manager at PPL (Northwest) Ltd, decided to try BT's new PC Security Check service which provides a comprehensive audit of all hardware and software security arrangements. 'We quickly realised that you can't just "tick the boxes" and presume your business is protected,' says Longworth. Completed in under an hour, this cost-effective service enabled the company to strengthen its security defences.

Better awareness of how to help protect against online threats helped PPL (Northwest) Ltd ensure that no further security problems have occurred since. 'BT PC Security Check recognises that IT security is an ongoing process rather than a one-off exercise,' concludes Longworth.