Keep important IT services running, or restore them within the time your business can accept.
Most services now depend on IT: applications, networks, data, cloud and the suppliers behind them. A failed system, a lost data centre, a supplier outage or a change in regulation can interrupt important services all at once. IT service continuity is the planning that keeps those services running, or brings them back, within the time the business can accept.
It starts from the business, not the technology. The business impact analysis shows which activities matter most and how long they can be down. IT continuity then shows whether your systems and suppliers can actually meet those times.
New to the subject? Read What is IT Service Continuity? and What is IT Disaster Recovery? For attack scenarios see Cyber Threats.
A starting review covers five things.
A look at how mature your IT continuity arrangements are today, with goals set for where they should be.
Connect the recovery times the business needs to the systems and services that support them, so IT targets come from business impact.
Map the dependencies, risks and single points of failure in your critical IT systems, infrastructure, cloud and suppliers.
Compare options such as backup and restore, alternate sites, cloud recovery and standby suppliers against cost and recovery time.
Record where your IT continuity performance stands now, so improvement can be shown over time.
Good plans are short, clear and owned. They tell people when to act, what to do first and who decides.
Plan how critical IT services will be kept running or restored, with policies, guidelines and criteria aligned to ISO 27001, ISO 22301 and ISO 27031.
Check what your suppliers and cloud providers commit to, how that fits your recovery needs, and what you do if they fail.
A plan that has never been tried is a hope. Testing shows what will happen when you need it.
Check that your disaster recovery routines and plans work as written, and record what needs to change.
Build up from walk-throughs and tabletop exercises to technical recovery tests, one step at a time.
Record the actual recovery times against targets, and track fixes to completion.
Mass communication during an IT incident is covered in Mass Communication Software.
ADVOX delivers IT service continuity training for IT teams, service owners and business continuity managers. See IT Service Continuity Training.
ADVOX is independent of all technology suppliers. This page is general information, not legal, regulatory or technical-assurance advice.
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