When an organisation faces an emergency, understanding the potential impacts is paramount. Typically, a well-established Business Continuity Management (BCM) includes a Business Impact Analysis (BIA), which identifies the effects of disruptions on processes or services.
However, in real-life scenarios, BIAs are not always utilised to plan immediate responses, use it to make foundational decisions quickly or anticipate future consequences. All of that should be possible, as a good BIA includes the interdependencies to other processes/services and the maximum tolerable period of disruption (MTPD) as well as an explanation of why that is and how a disruption will affect different categories. The categories should be those that are used to define an emergency. Generally, those are financial impact, loss of reputation, impact on regulation, and impact on health.
All those parameters could help to react in a high-pressure environment, which is to be expected after a cyberattack.

So, why is it that a BIA isn’t always utilised to aid in emergency response efforts?

There are several reasons why organisations may not fully, or not at all, utilise BIAs in emergency response efforts. One key issue is the lack of accessible or updated data within the BIA itself. Incomplete or outdated BIAs hinder informed decision-making, leaving the crisis management team without crucial insights.
Moreover, there may be a lack of awareness among those leading the response, resulting in the BIA’s contents being overlooked or misunderstood. Accessing the BIA during an incident may also prove challenging, further impeding its utility.
Sometimes, the data within the BIA may not be interconnected, making it difficult to create a clear picture of the impacts and necessary actions deriving from the data.
Additionally, there may be a lack of understanding on how to effectively utilise the BIA as a tool during the response phase, especially if it’s overly technical or presented in a way, that it is solely understandable by the Business Continuity manager.
Finally, language barriers between IT personnel and the Business Continuity manager may hinder communication and understanding of the BIA’s implications for IT and the associated tasks that derive from the data at hand.
These barriers collectively underscore the importance of addressing BIA usability and accessibility to enhance emergency response capabilities.

  1. Lack of Accessible or Updated Data:
    • Non-existent, incomplete or outdated BIAs hinder informed decision-making.
    • The crisis management team may be unaware of the BIA’s existence or its contents.
  2. Complexity and Understanding:
    • The BIA may be overly technical, making it difficult for non-specialists to comprehend.
    • Language barriers between IT and business continuity managers may impede effective communication.

How to prepare a BIA that is useful not only in the preparedness phase?

To ensure that a BIA proves invaluable not only during preparedness but also in real-time response scenarios, several key steps should be taken.
Firstly, it’s crucial to store the BIA in a readily accessible location for swift retrieval. Additionally, ensuring that the data within the BIA is comprehensive, accurate, and up-to-date is essential for informed decision-making.
Training crisis management teams on the purpose and content of BIAs during training sessions is also vital. Providing direct links to the BIA in other relevant documents, such as the emergency manual, can facilitate quick reference.
Furthermore, incorporating the BIA into exercises allows teams to become familiar with its use and identify areas for improvement. Those exercises are also utilised to train faster decision-making based on the foundation of the data from the BIA.
Simplifying the BIA’s language and format enhances ease of understanding by all stakeholders.
Finally, deriving a mapping from the BIA data for visual representation of impacts aids decision-making. Utilising software tools might assist in this process, streamlining the mapping process for enhanced clarity and usability.
By following these steps, organisations can maximise the utility of their BIAs, ensuring they are an invaluable asset in both preparedness and response phases.

  1. Ensure Accessibility:
    • Store BIAs where they can be easily accessed during emergencies.
  2. Train Crisis Management Teams:
    • Educate teams on the purpose and content of BIAs during training sessions.
    • Provide direct links to BIAs in relevant documentation for quick reference.
  3. Adaptability and Usability:
    • Incorporate BIAs into exercises to familiarise teams with their use and identify areas for improvement.
    • Ensure that BIAs contain relevant, accurate, and up-to-date data.

How can organisations maximise the utility of their BIA beyond preparedness?

To maximise the effectiveness of your BIA, it’s crucial to go beyond its traditional use in preparedness and mitigation phases. Incentivising individuals who contribute data to the BIA by highlighting its relevance in real-life incident scenarios can encourage comprehensive and accurate information gathering.
Aligning backup structures and recovery plans with the BIA’s priorities, focusing on incremental implementation rather than overwhelming plans, ensures a smoother recovery process. It is of no use if the recovery sequence does not mirror the results from the BIA. That also means identifying necessary hardware and resources in the BIA for rapid acquisition that streamlines response efforts and minimises downtime. An example of that might be purchasing a retainer from a service provider so that you are ensured to get a replacement service within days, rather than wait for it for months.

When an incident occurs, the BIA should be promptly utilised to facilitate faster decision-making by the Crisis Management Team, leveraging the prioritised information to guide recovery efforts. For that, they have to be familiar with the contents of the BIA – training and exercises are important.
By integrating the BIA into various aspects of emergency preparedness and response, organisations can harness its full potential in safeguarding operational continuity and resilience.

  1. Incorporate BIA Usage into Culture:
    • Encourage data contributors by emphasising the practical significance of BIAs.
    • Conduct regular training sessions to reinforce BIA understanding and application.
  2. Expedite Decision-Making:
    • Utilise BIAs during emergencies to facilitate faster decision-making based on a solid foundation.
  3. Align Backup and Recovery Strategies:
    • Tailor backup and recovery plans based on BIA priorities to ensure resource availability during emergencies.

Summary

The potential of BIAs is often underestimated, leading to missed opportunities for informed decision-making during emergencies. By ensuring accessibility, promoting understanding, and integrating BIAs into emergency response protocols, organisations can enhance their resilience and enable swift, well-informed decision-making at all levels of the hierarchy. This not only fosters legal certainty for C-level executives but also establishes a framework for stable and prioritised decision-making, safeguarding organisational continuity in times of crisis.