Business continuity planning ensures that an organization can continue to function as normally as is possible following a natural disaster. Unexpected interruptions can take many kinds, ranging from a flood to a cyber attack, to losing key staff or suppliers. These types of events can be devastating for a company, resulting in the loss of revenue and clients as and damage to the brand’s reputation.

A business continuity plan seeks to reduce the risk of these incidents by defining procedures and instructions for the organization in the event of an incident. This includes identifying potential impacts of each incident type and determining what steps are required in order to minimize find those effects, and who will be accountable for directing the situation. The process begins with a business-impact analysis. The second step is to put together an emergency management team. This is the team that will be in charge in the event of an emergency.

A BCP is incomplete without training, which helps employees understand what to do when a disaster happens. In addition to the training it is vital to have a comprehensive and easily accessible plan, as well as regularly testing the plan. During testing, it can be beneficial to add new members of the team to give them “fresh eyes” which may shed light details that more experienced members might have missed.

It’s important to be prepared for the possibility of disasters that could happen at any time. With a well-planned business continuity plan, your organization will have the resources to deal with any kind of disaster, assisting to keep your customers satisfied and increasing your bottom line.