While having a business continuity plan is certainly a step in the right direction, you can’t really know how well that plan will perform until you test it from end to end, considering all aspects of the system, from test planning to methods, and the people who will need to execute these plans.
Speaking of business continuity plans, Ben Griffin, sales director at Computer Disposals Limited told Information Age, “Testing your continuity plan should be a formal, strategic process. It should demonstrate to you, your staff, and your stakeholders and investors that you’re not only aware of the risks facing your business, but have legitimate means of coping should crises arise.”
This measure is crucial element in securing a system, and should be performed early.
“You really need to be in a position to mitigate against any potential risks both before a system is live, and afterwards, so there are no nasty surprises. End to end testing of every platform, both independently and in terms of its integration with the wider network of systems, is therefore critical,” Ivan Ericcson, head of quality assurance at Expleo told Information Age. “However this needs to be balanced against the need to deliver with speed and certainty — so strong automated testing should be seen as a standard component of your production systems.”
Some experts felt that the individual participation of each employee was also a necessary part of the equation. “The single biggest element in your business continuity is your people. Ensure that they are given as much thought and monitoring as your systems,” Vivek Dodd, CEO of Skillcast, told Information Age.“Do they adopt fail-safe decisions in a crisis? Do they prioritise your customers and compliance with laws and regulations to minimise the impact of any downtime? Are you gathering their reactions and their fears in those first moments of business discontinuity?”
Source:
https://www.information-age.com/how-stress-test-your-business-continuity-management-123492580/
