Disaster Recovery Vs Business Continuity – What Are The Differences?
Disaster recovery vs business continuity: Which one is important? – The short answer is “Both.” It depends on the situation you are dealing with.
Most companies operate by assuming that their workplaces will maintain their consistent state with changing times. Hence, they try to find comfort in daily routines and rhythm of work. However, there are certain events when a business might face disruption.
Hence, businesses need to have a disaster recovery plan and a business continuity plan in place to ensure that the business recovers faster when it comes across a negative situation.
In this article, you will learn about disaster recovery and business continuity in general. However, the focus of the article will be on the differences between the two. Apart from those differences, we will also discuss the major similarities between them as well. In addition to this, we will, in brief, share with you how each of these works and how to implement them. Hence, to learn more, read on through to the end of the article.
Disaster Recovery Vs Business Continuity – What Are They?
If you want to prepare for disruptions in business, you will need to create various strategies and plans, following which you will be able to ensure that the core business functions are intact. This can help the business to come back faster from the uncertain negative consequences it just faced.
What Is Disaster Recovery?
Amazon Web Services defines disaster recovery as such –
“Disaster recovery is the process by which an organization anticipates and addresses technology-related disasters. The process of preparing for and recovering from any event that prevents a workload or system from fulfilling its business objectives in its primary deployed location, such as power outages, natural events, or security issues.”
To measure the targets of disaster recovery, two factors are taken – Recovery Point Objectives (RPO) and Recovery Time Objectives (RTO). The failures for which companies make disaster recovery plans are mostly larger-scale disaster events. The plan includes various procedures and policies for the company so that it can recover quickly from the disaster by following them.
What Is Business Continuity?
According to the Business Continuity Institute,
“Business continuity is about having a plan to deal with difficult situations so your organization can continue to function with as little disruption as possible. Whether it’s a business, public sector organization, or charity, you need to know how you can keep going under any circumstances.”
You will need a business continuity plan, too, in case of a disaster situation. However, the continuity plan is to deal with the disaster situation so that the organization is able to continue its functioning with little to no disruption.
However, you will need to understand here that a business continuity plan does not work at times of a large program or a disaster, which affects the company a lot. It also does not work when a large number of people are associated with a single plan. Hence, many big companies make business continuity plans for each of their departments. This makes each department implement the plan as per its needs.
Disaster Recovery Vs Business Continuity – Major Differences
| Disaster Recovery | Business Continuity |
|---|---|
| Focuses on restoring access to data and IT infrastructure after the impact of the disaster.Involves the creation of additional safety measures for employees. Here, the company creates safety drills and stays prepared with emergency supplies.Disaster recovery is created for disruptions of higher levels, especially when many personnel are involved.Involves the limitation of abnormal or inefficient functioning of the system.Ensures that the organization can return to full functionality following a disaster situation. | Focuses on keeping the business operations running even during disasters.It consists of plans and procedures on how to continue business operations. The plans also include who should do what at the time of any disruption.Business continuity planning does not work in situations when many people are involved.Involves limitation of operational downtime.Ensures that all the communication methods of the organization continue working during a crisis. |
You can see from this table that both disaster recovery and business continuity are complementary to each other. Businesses need to combine both plans to ensure they are prepared for disastrous events.
Disaster Recovery Vs Business Continuity – Major Similarities
The following are some of the major similarities that you will find between disaster recovery and business continuity:
- Both are proactive strategies that enable a business to stay prepared for uncertain and disastrous events.
- Both plans allow the company to minimize the effects of the disaster before it actually occurs and affects the business.
- Both work quite well in situations of natural and man-made disasters. However, the result of their implementation depends on the situation.
- Professionals need to review both plans on a regular basis, and some of them need revision with the evolving situation of the organization.
How Do Disaster Recovery And Business Continuity Work?
According to the University of Central Florida,
“Having business continuity and disaster recovery plans in place can help companies minimize the consequences of a catastrophic event. They can also provide peace of mind; employees and business owners alike may feel more comfortable in a work setting where there are clear policies for how to respond to disasters.”
To implement these plans for the recovery of the business, the organization needs to create/hire crisis management professionals. These professionals will be responsible for developing and implementing such plans. Apart from that, they are also responsible for evaluating and revising them as per needs and training the employees of the organization to stay prepared.
Final Thought
Disaster recovery vs business continuity: Hope this article was helpful for you in getting a better idea of both of these terms and how they operate in the organizational setting.
Disaster recovery works in situations when the disruption is big and many people are involved. On the other hand, business continuity planning is to ensure business operations are continued in disruptions.
Do you have any more recommendations regarding when and how to implement a business continuity plan and a disaster recovery plan? Share your thoughts and ideas with us in the comments section below.
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Business Continuity Plan – What Is It, And How Does It Work?
Your business can come across a disaster or a host of negative situations for the business, which negatively affect the work processes of the business. In such cases, business continuity planning is one of the most necessary things to have. A business continuity plan will enable you to stay prepared for any kind of negative situation for the business. This shall further ensure that the business is able to work the same. In this article, you will learn about a business continuity plan and what are its major features. In addition to that, you will also learn how a business continuity plan works for a business. Furthermore, we will also discuss the major benefits of having a business continuity plan for your business. Finally, we will guide you with a step-by-step procedure on how to create such a plan for your business and stay prepared. What Is A Business Continuity Plan? According to Hubspot.com, “A business continuity plan outlines directions and procedures that your company will follow when faced with a crisis. These plans include business procedures, names of assets and partners, human resource functions, and other helpful information that can help maintain your brand's relationships with relevant stakeholders.” The major goal of a business continuity plan is to deal with the situations that disrupt the business. These disruptions can be both minor and full-blown threats. The plan allows you to plan for contingencies ahead of time. Such plans, as well as preparations according to those plans, can allow your business to continue operations even at times of high risk. Having a plan will help you to deal with the risks and either prevent or mitigate them. Some of the major disruptions that can affect the business include a natural disaster, a man-made disaster, a network breakdown, a cyber attack, and various other factors. These situations are large enough to disrupt organizations of any size. In such situations, a business continuity plan benefits the business by providing it with a procedure, processes, and tools. These will help the business to operate properly and recover within a short span of time. Read More: What Is a Franchise, And How Does It Work? – Examples, Benefits & More How Does A Business Continuity Plan Work? According to VMWare.com, “Business continuity planning is critical because without it, an organization faces downtime and other problems that could damage its financial health. In major disasters, a lack of a business continuity plan could cause irreparable financial harm that might ultimately force a company to permanently close.” In a business continuity plan, the business defines all the risks that can affect the operations of the organization. Hence, the plan becomes an important part of the risk management processes of the business. Some of the major risks include disasters, network breakdowns, cyberattacks, and more. Since threats and disruptions include a loss of revenue and higher costs for the business, it can lead to a loss of business profits. Furthermore, it is also not a great thing for your business to rely on insurance alone. Also, since the business does not cover all the necessary costs, as well as the ones associated with customers, a business continuity plan is necessary to deal with such situations. What Are The Benefits Of Having A Business Continuity Plan? The disasters in a business can be of any size and degree and can even be catastrophic for the business. Hence, a business continuity plan is one of the most essential things you can have for your business. The plan will help you to identify all the major risks that can affect the work processes of your company. According to Investopedia, “BCP is typically meant to help a company continue operating in the event of threats and disruptions. This could result in a loss of revenue and higher costs, which leads to a drop in profitability. And businesses can't rely on insurance alone because it doesn't cover all the costs and the customers who move to the competition.” The following are some of the major benefits of a business continuity plan: It helps to continue operating even in times of disaster. However, it is different from a disaster recovery plan. Helps in improving risk management of the company. It can stop disruptions in the organization from spreading. Helps to mitigate downtime of business technology and networks. It helps to save a lot of money, time, and resources. Business Continuity Plan - Steps To Create Here are some of the major steps you will need to follow if you want to create a business continuity plan: 1. Business Impact Analysis According to Investopedia, “An important part of developing a BCP is a business continuity impact analysis. It identifies the effects of disruption of business functions and processes. It also uses the information to make decisions about recovery priorities and strategies.” Here, your business managers will need to identify the functions of the plan as well as related resources for the business, especially the ones that are sensitive to time. 2. Recovery In this portion of the plan, the planner will need to identify the steps and implement them. This will include the steps for recovery as well. 3. Continuity Team You will need to create a continuity team here. The job of the team will be to devise a plan to manage the disruption of the plan. 4. Continuity Training You will need to train and test the continuity team here. The members of the team will also need to complete various exercises for the application of the plan. Read More: Intrapreneurship – Definition, Importance, Duties, And Responsibilities Summing Up Hope this article was helpful for you in getting a better idea of what a business continuity plan is and how it can allow your organization to recover quickly from disasters or, in the best cases, prevent them. The plan is a great option to keep your personnel prepared, save your assets, and ensure the business starts functioning fast. However, you will need to test your business continuity plan from time to time to ensure that there are no gaps in it. To find out gaps, you can create dummy situations or drills with your employees. Do you have any more recommendations on how to create the best business continuity plan? Share your ideas with us in the comments section below. Read Also: Entrepreneur : Who Coined The Term ‘Entrepreneur’? Entrepreneurship – Definition, Meaning, Scope, And More Importance Of Entrepreneurship: Types, Features & Benefits
Sep 08, 2023
Why Business Continuity Planning Is Essential For Your Company?
When crises happen in business, it is quite common to panic and make wrong decisions by remaining unprepared. Crises can happen anytime, and you must not start every day with the worst that can happen. However, you must stay prepared for anything to happen. You can do this with the help of a useful business continuity planning structure in place. This is because, if you do not stay prepared for the crises, it can cost your company a lot. In this article, you will learn some general details about business continuity planning. Apart from that, you will learn the importance of having such a planning structure in place. Furthermore, we will also discuss some of the major benefits of business continuity planning, which you must be aware of. Finally, we will share with you the steps you can follow to implement business continuity planning. What Is Business Continuity Planning? Business continuity planning is essential for a company as it helps in creating a prevention and recovery from the various risks and threats that can potentially affect the company. Having the plan will ensure that the personnel and assets of the company are protected. Protecting them will enable the company to start functioning by recovering quickly after a disaster situation. Business continuity planning is also essential to recover from situations like cyber-attacks where the company’s data gets compromised. Read More: What Is Risk Management? – Find Out How To Manage Risks in Business Why Is Business Continuity Planning Important? According to TechTarget.com, “The plan should enable the organization to keep running at least at a minimal level during a crisis. Business continuity helps the organization maintain resiliency in responding quickly to an interruption. Strong business continuity saves money, time and company reputation. An extended outage risks financial, personal and reputational loss.” With the help of the business continuity plan, you are making the company look after itself. You are analyzing the potential areas for risks and gathering important information from those areas. You have to have full information about those areas which are helpful for disaster situations. Furthermore, having a business continuity plan is also important to comply with legal processes. What Are The Benefits Of Business Continuity Planning? According to Investopedia, “Business continuity planning is typically meant to help a company continue operating in the event of major disasters such as fires. BCPs are different from a disaster recovery plan, which focuses on the recovery of a company's IT system after a crisis.” Basically, such a business continuity plan will help you to take stapes, including creating backups of projects, client information, and more. If something must happen to the company’s office, the satellite offices of the company will have access to all the essential information of the company. However, a business continuity plan does not work if a large population in the company is affected. It can happen at times of an outbreak of a disease. Despite that, having a business continuity plan in place will help you to improve the risk management processes of the company. Business Continuity Planning - Steps To Follow To make a great business continuity plan, it is important to have a management that oversees the plan. According to Hubspot.com, “This type of management determines the potential threats to a company and how each of these threats might impact business functions. Based on these findings, business continuity management is able to tweak the company's continuity plan to address any new potential hazards.” There are some steps you must follow to develop useful business continuity planning for your organization. Here are they: Step 1: Select your Business Continuity Team. Here, you must assemble a management team. Make sure the team is well-organized and detail-oriented. Make sure there is at least an executive manager, a program coordinator, and an information officer. Step 2: Define the objectives of the business continuity plan. To do that, you will need to know about what your end goal is. Furthermore, you must also have good information on the resources and budget based on your current projects. Step 3: Find the key players of your department and interview them. Make sure to talk with the executives as they have a bird’s eye view of the organization. Furthermore, make sure to interview the key team members of each department. This will help you to get an analysis that is useful and comprehensive. Step 4: Identify the essential functions of the business and the types of threats. By doing so, you will be able to find the major areas of your business that require the highest level of business continuity. Step 5: Assess the Risks in Every Area. Here, all you need to do is quantify the information that you have gathered from the interviews. Step 6: Conduct an Impact Analysis. Here, you will need to summarize your findings based on the costs and benefits to find out further what your priorities are. Step 7: Draft the business continuity plan. You must have already got ideas regarding what to include in the plan. Include all the requirements of the plan, followed by the procedure and end goals. Step 8: Test gaps in the plan. Once you have created your plan, you must immediately test it for any gaps. You can do it by communicating with those who are implementing the plan. Step 9: Revise your plan on the basis of findings. This will be on the basis of your findings in Step 8. Here, you will need to correct the flaws that you have found throughout the process. Read More: Business Risks – How To Identify, Manage, And Reduce Them? Bottom Line Business continuity planning is essential to hasten an organization’s recovery from a major risk leading to a threat or disaster. Basically, the company identifies all the risks that can affect the organization. The continuity plan puts in place various mechanisms and functions. With the help of these, the organization allows assets and personnel to minimize the company’s downtime. In case of a disaster in the company, it is important to implement business continuity planning to provide cover for the disaster. Do you have any recommendations regarding how to implement business continuity planning? Share your views and ideas with us in the comments section below. Read More: Entrepreneur : Who Coined The Term ‘Entrepreneur’? Intrapreneurship – Definition, Importance, Duties, And Responsibilities What Is a Franchise, And How Does It Work? – Examples, Benefits & More
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What Is Risk Management? – Find Out How To Manage Risks in Business
What is risk management? - Simply put, it is the process by which businesses identify, assess, and control the various risks that threaten the growth, capital, and earnings of the organization. The risks for the organization can come from a variety of sources, both internal and external. These can be financial problems, legal problems, management errors, accidents, tech issues, economic problems, disasters, and many more. In this article, you will learn about risk management in general and will get a good understanding of its essentiality in business. Furthermore, you will also learn the importance of risk management and how it can shape a business. Finally, we will share with you some of the best practices of risk management, with the help of which you can ensure a proper risk management system in place. What Is Risk Management? According to IBM.com, “Risk management is the process of identifying, assessing and controlling financial, legal, strategic and security risks to an organization’s capital and earnings. These threats, or risks, could stem from a wide variety of sources, including financial uncertainty, legal liabilities, strategic management errors, accidents, and natural disasters.” Risk management is important for situations when an unforeseen event (internal or external) pushes the organization into a threatening situation. It can also be an economic situation where an unexpected surprise in the market can heavily impact your business. Hence, having a risk management framework for your business is really essential. The risk management framework will help you mitigate the risks in a better manner. Even if the risk affects your business, the risk management system will enable you to deal with that risk better. External risks are out of your control, and you cannot do a lot to receive the impact of the risks. However, you can do many things to stop and mitigate the internal risks for your business. You will need to anticipate and prepare for the risks, despite the size of the business or the level of impact of the risk in the business. Read More: Intrapreneurship – Definition, Importance, Duties, And Responsibilities Why Is Risk Management Important? According to Investopedia, “Risk management has always been an important tool in running any business, particularly when a market experiences a downturn. In any economic environment, an unexpected surprise can destroy your business in one fell swoop if you don’t have the right risk management strategies in place to prevent, or at least mitigate, the damage from that risk.” There are many risks that have enough potential to destroy the business and its operations. Hence, as a manager or CEO of the organization, you will need to identify what are the risks that pose threats to the operations of your business. It does not matter whether the business is a startup or an established one. Risks can impact the business a lot. Even if a risk starts impacting a business, a business that is well-prepared can minimize the impact of the risk on the business’s earnings. With the impact of the risk, the business can also lose a lot of time, productivity, and even customers. Hence, the identification of the risks of the business should be a key part of the business’s strategy and planning. You can identify risks in a number of ways once you implement a proper risk management system in the organization. What strategies you will employ to identify those risks should rely on the specific business activities of the company. What Are The Best Ways To Manage Risks? Having a proper risk management system in place is one of the major necessities. However, people still have their own biases. According to Harvard Business Review, “Multiple studies have found that people overestimate their ability to influence events that, in fact, are heavily determined by chance. We tend to be overconfident about the accuracy of our forecasts and risk assessments and far too narrow in our assessment of the range of outcomes that may occur.” Here are the steps that you will need to take to ensure that you have a proper risk management system in place: 1. Risk Prioritization If you have multiple risks, prioritizing the top ones will help you to deal with them as per their impact and possibility of impact. 2. Having A Business Insurance Once you purchase insurance, you are transferring the risks of the company to insurance companies. Furthermore, you are not paying a lot of costs. 3. Becoming An LLC If you do not want to be personally liable for the debts of the company, change your company’s structure to a Limited Liability Company (LLC) or a Corporation. 4. Quality Assurance Quality assurance of products and services will help your business in increasing its reputation. Ensure to test them before customers purchase them. This will allow you to make all the necessary adjustments beforehand. Also, ensure that your testing methods are foolproof. 5. Get Away From High-Risk Customers Implement a policy in your organization that the company will not entertain customers with poor credit. Even if the company deals with them, the customer must pay ahead of time. This shall lower the complications for the business in the long run. 6. Growth Control Training your employees is of the highest importance here. To sell your products and services, if you set big goals for your employees, they shall be tempted to take uncalculated risks. This can make things go wrong and damage your company’s reputation. 7. Risk Management Team Apart from paying an outside company to manage the risks in your business, consider having a risk management team of your own. To do this, you can appoint some of your current and experienced employees to work in risk management. Read More: Entrepreneur : Who Coined The Term ‘Entrepreneur’? Final Thought What is risk management? - Risk management basically creates insurance for the company from within and is really important to ensure the success of the organization. If you want to implement a system within your company, consider following the aforementioned steps. To shape a better strategy for your business, you will need to get a better idea of the business and the industry by diving deeper. Do you have any more recommendations regarding better risk management strategies? In that case, consider sharing your thoughts and views with us in the comments section below. 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Best Business Credit Cards For Startups In 2023
Best business credit cards for startups can make your life easier for getting short-term loans instantly. Credit cards can help you to build a good business credit score. Your repayments on time can make your CIBIL score better in the long term. If you are a sole proprietor, then also you are eligible for a credit card. A social security number does not have a significant revenue history. If you are looking for the lowest interest rates, then Credit card history matters a lot. Cashback rewards and other perks offer a good credit card score. Your startup needs to succeed at times to make things happen in your favor. Best Business Credit Cards For Startups Available In 2023 Great business credit cards will offer you high limits for credits. Cash back rewards, balance offers, and travel facilities. Your credit card must suit your goals with complete ease. Try out the best options that can make things happen in your way. 1. Chase Ink Business Cash Credit Card For business owners who are looking for better finances, Chase Ink is one of the best options to avail. It is one of the quality business credit cards for startups. The welcome offer for them is $750. The recommended credit score ranges between 670 -800 to get the maximum benefits of this credit card. Features Of This Credit Card Are As Follows:- The best bonus-earning categories involve phone service, internet, cable, and office supplies. With Chase Ultimate rewards, it is highly compatible. You will receive 1% cash back on all other purchases. 2% cashback, you can redeem on the first $25 spent on restaurants and gas stations. Your contribution margin needs to be in good shape. It will offer you the best options to explore things with ease. 2. American Express Platinum Business Credit Card The American Express platinum business credit card is another best credit cards for startups. You will get the welcome offer of 120K points and an annual fee of $695. The recommended credit score ranges from good to excellent. You must be well aware of it. If your business requires frequent travel to distant places. Some of the core features of this credit card are as follows:- $100 statement for credit entry and global entry for $85 in case of TSA precheck. Extensive travel and shopping protection. You will get upto 5X membership reward points. Minimal non-travel bonuses. Compared to other cards high annual fee. 3. Chase Ink Business Unlimited Credit Card The Chase Ink Business Unlimited credit card is one of the best small business credit cards. You will receive a welcome offer of $750. The recommended credit score must range from good to excellent. You do not have to pay any annual fee and 1.5% cashback rewards you will receive from these credit cards. Some of the key features of the credit cards are as follows:- You will receive unlimited cashback earnings. On a new purchase, you will receive unlimited introductory 0% APR for 12 months. For getting a high sign-up bonus, you will receive a low spending rate. Only foreign transaction fees can apply. Limited protection on travel costs as well as purchases. No presence of bonus categories. Similar kinds of information are present in HubSpot too. You can go through it once for better understanding. 4. American Express Business Gold Card American Express business gold cards will offer you 70K points. You will get an annual fee of $295K points. The recommended credit score ranges from good to excellent. Each billing cycle ranges between $150K. You can earn one point per dollar for expenses. Some of the core features of this credit card are as follows:- You will receive flexible reward and redemption options. With the inclusion of the integration of books, it will deliver you expense management tools. There are no foreign transaction fees are essential. No credit statements. Offers high annual fee. It is not applicable for the lower spending business. Sometimes for ERTC qualifications, credit cards play a vital role in getting the loans on time. 5. Chase Ink Business Preferred Credit Card The Chase Ink business preferred credit card is also the best business credit cards for startups. It offers a welcome bonus of 100k points. The annual fee of $95 fees you will receive from these credit cards. The recommended credit score ranges from good to excellent. You will have the privilege to earn three points for every dollar spent. Some of the core features of the Chase Ink business credit card are as follows:- You will receive multiple bonus categories. Phone and travel protection is possible. There are no requirements for foreign transaction fees. It comprises annual fees. If you want to get a high sign-up bonus, then you have to pay High spend requirements for the sign-up bonus. 6. Blue Business Plus Credit Card From American Business The blue business plus credit card from American business credit cards will help your small business to grow at a rapid pace. You will receive the welcome offer of 15K points. Your requirement to pay the annual fee is $0. The recommended credit score ranges from good to excellent. Some of the core features of the Blue Business Plus credit card from American Business are as follows:- You will have multiple transfer partners. On all purchases, you will get flat-rate earnings. Delivers your generous welcome offer. You can apply for foreign transaction fees. $50K bonus earning cap. 7. US Bank Business Triple Cash Reward The welcome bonus offer you will receive is $500. The annual fee of $0 you have to pay for getting this business credit card for start-ups. The recommended credit score ranges from good to excellent. You will receive business rewards. For a long introductory APR period, you will have to go through it once. You will receive 3% cashback for all the categories. Some of the core features of this best business credit card are as follows:- $100 statement credit for recurring software subscriptions. Upto 5% cash back that is booked on the US bank travel portal. No travel rewards you will receive from this credit card. Low rate outside all the bonus categories. Best Small Business Credit Cards There are several small business credit cards that you can opt for in 2023. Some of the best small business credit cards are as follows:- Chase Ink Business Preferred Credit Card. American Express Platinum Card. Capital One Spark Cash for Business. American Express Blue Business Cash Card. Discover it, Business Card. Wells Fargo Business Platinum Credit Card. U.S. Bank Business Platinum Card. Your business's net operating income also matters a lot here. Try to consider this fact as well from your end. Final Take Away Hence, these are the best business credit cards for startups in 2023. You need to take care of the reality while you want to get short-term loans for your business. It is impossible to make your choices all of a sudden. You can share your views and comments in our comment box. It will assist us to know your take on this matter. Try to develop a better solution that can make things work perfectly well in your favor. Read More Busuiness Related News By Clicking Below!! ERTC Qualification Step-By-Step Guide Top 7 Best Business Ideas For Teens In 2023 What Is Safe Harbor 401K? Benefits And Types
Nov 07, 2023