♻️ Business Continuity & Disaster Recovery (BCDR)
Disruption happens. It is not a question of if, but when. I work with you to design business continuity and disaster recovery strategies that support critical operations and enable structured recovery when incidents occur. These plans are grounded in ISO 22301, NIST SP 800-34, and a layered recovery methodology developed through real-world consultancy.
What BCDR Means for You
A resilient organisation prepares for disruption by understanding which systems and processes must remain available and how they will be recovered. My approach ensures your continuity and recovery plans reflect actual operational dependencies and recovery priorities.
- Analysing recovery objectives including recovery time (RTO) and point objectives (RPO)
- Mapping critical dependencies across infrastructure, applications, suppliers, and people
- Defining roles, decision rights, and action protocols in incident situations
- Turning resilience planning from theory into practised capability
Business Continuity vs Disaster Recovery
Although closely related, Business Continuity (BC) and Disaster Recovery (DR) serve distinct purposes and should be approached accordingly.
Business Continuity focuses on maintaining essential business functions during a disruption. It addresses operational continuity—people, processes, suppliers, and facilities—ensuring that core services can continue even under adverse conditions.
Disaster Recovery is more narrowly focused on restoring IT systems, data, and infrastructure after a disruption. It deals with technical recovery—servers, networks, applications, and cloud environments—and aims to restore normal operations within agreed recovery timeframes.
In practice:
- BC planning is implemented when service delivery must be sustained despite non-technical disruption, such as a supply chain issue, facility outage, or key staff unavailability.
- DR planning is implemented when technical failure or cyber incidents disrupt IT operations, requiring structured restoration of data and systems.
Both are essential. Business continuity ensures stability during the disruption. Disaster recovery enables full restoration after it.
Frameworks and Methodology
ISO 22301 sets out the requirements for a business continuity management system. NIST SP 800-34 focuses on contingency planning for IT systems. Together, they provide a solid structure. However, these standards do not address real-world dependencies in depth.
I use a layered dependency mapping framework developed during consultancy engagements. This ensures your recovery plan matches operational needs. The result is structured governance, tested readiness, and effective incident response.
Deep Dive Services
📋 Business Impact Analysis (BIA) and Dependency Mapping
We determine which systems, services, and processes must be restored first by conducting BIA and visualising dependencies. This includes suppliers, technology, and cross-functional teams. It ensures recovery sequences reflect reality.
🛠 Designing Layered Recovery Plans
Based on BIA outputs, I help you design BCDR plans with clear recovery layers, actions, and responsibilities. These plans reflect how your organisation actually operates during restoration, not just ideal scenarios.
🚨 Incident Governance and Escalation Protocols
I support the design of governance structures for incident response. These define clear roles, decision-making authority, and communication workflows across stakeholders.
🧪 Testing and Exercising for Readiness
To validate your plans and build confidence, I facilitate tabletop exercises, scenario testing, or full cutover drills. Each is followed by lessons-learned workshops and plan refinement.
How Effective BCDR Strengthens Your Organisation
- ✔ Operational Continuity: Your critical systems remain available during disruption, reducing downtime impact.
- 🔁 Rapid Recovery Capability: Structured plans and tested procedures enable clear and fast response.
- 🏛 Clear Responsibility and Communication: Teams know their roles, escalation routes, and when to take action.
- 📈 Compliance and Assurance Readiness: Demonstrable recovery capability supports regulatory audits and stakeholder confidence.
- 🌟 Trust and Resilience as a Competitive Edge: Being prepared builds credibility with customers, partners, and regulators.
📞 Ready to Build Your Recovery with Confidence?
If you want to move from reactive crisis management to recovery confidence, I would welcome the opportunity to help. Your operational continuity and long-term resilience are within reach.
Contact me to develop a structured, operationally aligned BCDR strategy that supports your business.