Business Continuity Management (BCM)

What is BCM?

Business continuity management is a tool that enables businesses to continue operations, even during times of crisis. The point here is not to prevent dangers. Other methods are important for that, such as  IT security training. Rather, good business continuity management (BCM) ensures that a company does not collapse in on itself in the event of sudden disasters, but can withstand the dangers by adjusting course as needed.

BCM means you have created an emergency plan in advance that you can rely on in crisis situations. However, the plan is only a framework. No two challenges are the same, and you can't devise a separate guide for every worst-case scenario. A business continuity plan forms a secure basis on which you can then react flexibly.

Proper BCM ensures that costs can be minimized in outage scenarios because, thanks to an established plan, you make decisions quickly and decisively. So instead of suffering ever more from an exceptional situation, you get operations back on track in the shortest possible time.

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BCM

BCM in IT Security

Although BCM refers to all areas within a company, IT infra­structure requires special attention. If computers and servers fail, in many cases, the entire operation is affected. Moreover, digita­lization has opened up additional sources of concern. Malware, DDoS attacks, and network failures can bring work processes to a complete standstill in a very short time. But with business continuity planning, you can get IT up and running again quickly.

Why is business continuity management important?

Disasters can – and usually will – happen. Whether external threats or internal errors, you can try to avoid such risks, but it will never be completely successful. That makes it all the more important to minimize downtime with the help of a business continuity management system (BCMS).

Mastering crisis situations

Crises arise internally and externally and can be incredibly diverse. Here are a few typical scenarios:

Power failure When your devices suddenly run out of power, sometimes every second counts. With a  uninter­ruptible power supply (UPS) you minimize outages.

Natural disasters Extreme storms, floods or earthquakes cannot be predicted. Establish plans to protect your employees and resume operations as quickly as possible.

Pandemics If employees cannot work in offices due to lockdowns, working from home options must be created. Also high levels of sick leave can lead to a crisis and must be accounted for.

Cybercrime DDoS attacks or malware can cripple your system. Cloud infra­structures and good  backup management help ensure that operations can quickly continue.

Supply chain disruptions If suppliers or logistics companies are no longer operating as usual, you must find alternatives.

All situations have in common that they are rather unlikely, but at the same time they can cause enormous damage.

Secure competitive advantages

There is no legal requirement to maintain a business continuity management system. But just like other inter­national standards (such as a  TISAX certifi­cation ), many global companies now expect security measures from business partners. Having a BCM system in place gives suppliers and customers confidence that collabo­ration can continue over the long term.

A failure within the supply chain also means significant damage for all others involved. That's why more and more emphasis is being placed on selecting crisis-proof business partners - in all sectors of the economy.