In recent times, a number of events have tested businesses’ capability to continue operations in the face of emergencies.  Manmade disasters like Y2K and 9/11, natural calamities like hurricanes, earthquakes and tsunamis, and other catastrophic events like the swine flu epidemic have made today’s organizations finally heed the call of those who advocate the importance of business continuity planning.

A US study showed that over 40% of businesses never reopened after a disaster, and of the remaining companies that do, 25% closed in two years.  Thus, a company’s survival depends not only on how it can cope while a disaster is occurring, but also how it will respond to new scenarios when the catastrophe has run its course.  This is where a sound, viable business continuity plan can prove to be an organization’s saving grace.

A Business Continuity Plan prepares organizations for any eventuality and helps ensure its longevity.  The need to be able to resume normal processing and re-establish operations in the quickest time possible is essential, because longer suspended operations means more losses for the company: loss of revenue, customers, and even confidence of business partners

In creating an effective Business Continuity Plan, it is imperative to get the endorsement of high level executives.  With the top management’s support, organizations can easily come up with a strategic – and realistic – plan focused on the business interests of the company.

An organization’s vulnerabilities are numerous: it can be internal or external, technical or economic; the business continuity plan must pinpoint these vulnerabilities and present solutions that can counter these risks.  The critical business processes of the organization should also be defined so that there is increased focus to normalize these primary functions during business resumption.

Key personnel, such as the company’s Information Systems group, should work together with management in defining the recovery requirements of and appropriate solutions for each aspect of the organization’s operations.  The plan itself should be designed as something that is easily understood and executed without any problems in the event of a crisis.  More importantly, it should be tested under realistic conditions and re-tested periodically.  This means that every member of the organization must be properly educated and trained about its plan.  

Organizations, in developing their Business Continuity Plan, can benefit from learning more about the latest solutions from outsourced services providers.  ePLDT, the country’s leading ICT company, includes in its service portfolio a range of disaster recovery solutions that help organizations continue operations even in the midst of an emergency.

ePLDT’s VITRO™ Disaster Recovery Solutions provide organizations with seamless continuity and immediate recovery in the event of disasters.  ePLDT’s VITRO™ Data Center has readily available facilities and platforms complete with workstations, telephone and fax lines, and other office equipment such as printers and photocopiers to ensure availability of IT resources for today’s data-intensive business operations.

By availing of ePLDT VITRO’s DR (Disaster Recovery) Seats service, organizations reserve the right to use these facilities should the need arise.  Companies can have a few of their IT personnel work on resuming operations, or even have an entire department use the facilities as a temporary office.  This service is ideal particularly for Help Desk, Call Center and Systems Administration functions.  ePLDT currently offer 116 DR seats, and can be availed through convenient  time-sharing schemes.

Aside from DR seats, ePLDT can also store an organization’s tape media in a secure environment to ensure data restoration in the event of a disaster.  The service incorporates a tape courier service as well as tape custody functions that conform to an organization’s guidelines and procedures.

ePLDT VITRO’s Disaster Recovery facilities can help organizations recoup interrupted operations in a matter of hours.  With the provision of seamless transition, these solutions help lower downtime costs and lost potential revenues.

Organizations need not go blind in times of crisis.  With a viable Business Continuity Plan and Disaster Recovery solutions offered by expert, reliable service providers, today’s companies can ensure that they will go on even after a disaster.