Business Continuity

Business continuity is defined as the collection processes and procedures an organization uses to ensure essential functions can continue during and after a disaster. These processes and procedures seek to prevent interruption of mission-critical services, and to reestablish full functioning as swiftly and smoothly as possible.

Emergencies vary in severity and length. Severe weather may cause an emergency as short as one day while a pandemic emergency could last months. A telework program alone does not provide a thorough business continuity program. However, a telework program lays a part of the foundation and augments a business continuity program in the following ways:

1. Secure Sufficient Remote Access: Implementing a formal telework program requires that remote access be designed with sufficient bandwidth, security and access protocols. A business continuity program will require expanding or modifying your organization’s existing remote access.
2. Identify Mission Critical Job-Tasks: An emergency preparedness program requires identification of both the mission critical job-tasks as well as suitable employees to perform those tasks. Having a viable flexwork program means the processes and tools needed to accomplish these tasks are already in place.
3. Providing a Testing Ground: All too often a business continuity program is implemented without the adequate training or testing to succeed in a true emergency environment. Flexwork programs provide ongoing tests of the effectiveness of business continuity processes and tools. In addition, flexworkers will already have actual experience working from a remote location, accessing systems and effectively communicating with coworkers and customers.

Copyright © 2004-2006 - All Rights Reserved