Protiviti Updates ‘Guide to Business Continuity & Resilience’ for Today’s Uncertain Times

Easy-to-use resource guide includes 50 new answers to the key questions that businesses must ask to ensure they are prepared for disruption

MENLO PARK, Calif., Sept. 15, 2020 – Protiviti has completed a major update to its highly regarded Guide to Business Continuity & Resilience. First produced in 2005, the guide has been updated to reflect today’s new threats and business realities, especially in light of lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic. The 2020 guide includes answers to 50 new critical questions business leaders must ask to ensure they will be ready to respond when disaster strikes. 

“The disruption caused by COVID-19 weighs heavily on the minds of every business planner, but the pandemic is only one disruption threat that companies manage,” said Ron Lefferts, managing director and leader of the Technology Consulting practice at Protiviti. “Cyber threats, data breaches, natural disasters, threat actor activity and other like events can occur at any moment, causing network outages, disrupting logistics, destroying infrastructure – creating unforeseen operational bottlenecks and preventing workers from doing their jobs. Our updated Guide to Business Continuity & Resilience is designed to help businesses consider scenarios they may face and to get their response plans in place before it’s too late.”

Protiviti’s new guide to business continuity and resilience answers a variety of 84 questions facing those responsible for developing business continuity plans (BCPs) and includes several related issues and best practices. The questions are grouped into the following topics:

sampling of the 50 new questions answered in the updated Guide to Business Continuity & Resilience includes:

COVID-19 and Pandemics:

• What are some key business continuity considerations or priorities when developing a pandemic response, and what lessons have we learned so far from COVID-19 that would inform future business continuity planning?
• How should your BCM programme provide support for returning to normalcy post-pandemic?

programme Development and Strategies:

• What are some alternatives to performing an exhaustive business impact analysis and risk assessment?

Ownership and Governance:

• How do you structure an internal business continuity function or planning team?
• How do you convince executive management to fully support the organisation’s business continuity efforts?

The Regulatory Environment:

• How should regulations and standards shape the development of a BCM programme?
• What is the connection between operational resilience and business continuity management?

“In the face of unprecedented operational, social and technological disruption, many business leaders don’t understand how to prioritise potential business continuity challenges, who should be responsible for making these decisions, or who to turn to for advice,” said Kim Bozzella, managing director and leader of the financial services industry technology consulting practice and the global technology, strategy and operations practice at Protiviti. “With our wealth of experience helping businesses prepare for and recover from disasters, Protiviti is able to help organisations move from agonising about business continuity to creating a practical plan for peace of mind.” 

The updated fourth edition of the guide also includes an appendix with a glossary of key BCM terms, links to regulatory information sources, and BCM programme testing options. Protiviti offers complimentary access to the guide through an interactive online format or via a PDF. The interactive format allows readers to easily browse and access specific topics or industry information through navigation menus and clickable images.

Webinar – “Moving Forward with Business Continuity and Resilience” 

It has never been more important for organisations to prepare for the unexpected. Protiviti also produced a BCM webinar, titled “Moving Forward with Business Continuity and Resilience,” that is archived for on-demand viewing. In this Q&A session, expert speakers from Protiviti shared insights and lessons learned including the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on business continuity planning and how to govern a business continuity and resilience programme during these fluid times. The complimentary one-hour webinar is accessible here.