Publication Date
Continuity Strategy for Sustainable Resilience
In a world where crises and threats continue to multiply, organizational resilience has become an imperative. Power outages, cyberattacks, pandemics, shortages, etc. Yet, many companies still approach business continuity from a too narrow perspective, limiting their focus to IT.
Restricting efforts to backups and server redundancy is insufficient. A truly strategic and effective business continuity plan must encompass all critical functions, including operations, supply chains, human resources, finance, and, of course, information technology.
Why Plan for Business Continuity?
A comprehensive continuity plan enables an organization to:
→ Maintain its essential activities despite disruptions;
→ Reduce financial losses;
→ Protect its reputation among clients, employees, and partners;
→ Fulfill contractual and regulatory obligations.
It is, therefore, a strategic investment rather than a defensive expense. Any business continuity initiative consists of four major stages. In this article, we will review them while incorporating two concrete examples closely aligned with real business scenarios.
Phase 1 – Understanding the company beyond its IT
The first step is to thoroughly understand your organization.
Who depends on what to operate? Which products, services, or activities are vital and critical? Which human and technological resources are indispensable?
For an SME in the manufacturing sector, its production line may be identified as its most critical activity. The analysis could reveal that this line not only relies on control software but also on a sole supplier of parts and a single qualified operator. It then determines an RTO of 12 hours, representing the maximum tolerable period before the production shutdown becomes critical.
A professional services firm, on the other hand, might realize that its ability to serve its clients heavily depends on the availability of its experts as well as access to client files hosted on a cloud platform. In the case of prolonged downtime, client relationships and deadlines would be jeopardized.
At this stage, a risk analysis is also conducted to identify threats: cyberattacks, power outages, strikes, pandemics, natural disasters, etc. This is also the time to make strategic decisions and determine which risks can be tolerated and which justify investments to counter them.
* The RPO (Recovery Point Objective) defines the maximum amount of data a company can afford to lose, while the RTO (Recovery Time Objective) indicates the maximum acceptable time to restore systems after an incident. The RPO influences the frequency of backups, while the RTO determines recovery times. Costs, automation complexity and calculation methods vary according to priorities, infrastructure and data criticality.
Phase 2 – Solutions adapted to each risk
Once critical activities and risks are identified, the company must select the best strategies to continue or restart operations quickly.
For its production line, our SME can choose to implement a minimal double stock of critical parts and establish a contract with a secondary supplier. Additionally, training will be provided so that two other employees can replace the primary operator in case of absence. In parallel, the control system will now be automatically backed up on a redundant server hosted remotely.
Our professional services firm, on the other hand, will implement a telework strategy with secure access, daily data synchronization, and a contingency plan for its key representatives. Cybersecurity insurance covering potential operational losses will also be considered.
At this stage, the key is to combine technological, human, and organizational measures. Investments must be proportional to potential impacts and the established RTO/RPO. This is where a partner like ITI can make a real difference in helping you find the right balance between robustness, realism, and financial resources.
Phase 3 – Implementing a clear, concrete, and realistic plan
A well-thought-out strategy must be translated into practical intervention plans. This is not just a binder forgotten on a shelf, but a flexible, straightforward tool mastered by the right people.
Let’s return to our manufacturing SME, which will develop during this phase a detailed plan for each critical scenario: production interruption, failure of the primary supplier, prolonged absence of key personnel, etc. Each plan specifies the actions to be taken, the responsible individuals, the resources to be mobilized, and the deadlines to be met.
Our firm, on its part, will create a crisis communication plan, a procedure for restoring access to critical documents, and a series of ready-to-use templates to inform clients, partners, and employees depending on different types of incidents.
The measures must include both preventive actions and concrete continuity solutions, such as contingency plans.
Phase 4 – Test, measure, and adjust
A business continuity plan cannot remain theoretical and static. It must be tested to live and evolve. Simulations help identify flaws that are invisible on paper.
In this context, our SME will simulate a supply chain interruption, with the result showing that although spare parts are available, access to the backup inventory has not been communicated to the night shift teams. The plan will then be adjusted to include an access procedure and training for all shifts.
The services firm could simulate a cyberattack, where the test would reveal that some employees do not master the emergency connection mechanism, and that the procedure for communicating with clients is not clear enough. It could then proceed with a partial redesign of the original plan.
By integrating simulation tools, incident management platforms, or emergency communication systems, you can make these exercises more dynamic and richer. This continuous improvement process will transform your plan into a genuine resilience framework.
What to Remember
A well-constructed resilience plan, firmly rooted in the reality of the business, is not merely a safety net but a demonstration of leadership, rigor, and respect towards those who rely on you: your employees, clients, and partners.
