Electronic business continuity is the future

As more companies recognise the need for business continuity management, ContinuitySA and Cura Software Solutions have taken traditional methods of continuity to a new level with the development of an electronic business continuity solution.

Karen Humphris, consultant at ContinuitySA, says the benefits of electronic BCM are as powerful as a so then-designed continuity strategy itself. She offers the following five benefits businesses will attain by converting to electronic BCM:

* Analysis: Analysing data from a business intelligence perspective is easier, faster and more efficient when the information is stored electronically instead of forcing users to wade through piles of paper.

* Accessibility: Using a hosting function or a Web-based approach, ensures that crucial information is available from any location and at any time, even while a disaster.

The application is configurable to each business's requirements. It provides options to input various risk criteria, risk levels, specific dependencies when all is said and done forth.

Furthermore, the software guides users through a thorough business impact analysis of the organisation, incorporating process dependency linking and a risk assessment. The BIA is done on a business unit basis and captures all the relevant details and business processes of the department. The impact analysis incorporates dependency criterion for each process. All processes must be assessed on the same basis to ensure a valid overview is generated and inter-dependencies discovered.

The strategic plan is a high-level plan

The strategic plan is a high-level plan, including items just as corporate crisis communications plans. The tactical plans link and co-ordinate all the plans developed into a cohesive, focused drive to get the business up and running in the sequence desired when disaster strikes. The operational plans focus on the recovery and resumption of each of the business units.

ContinuitySA is Africa's leading provider of business continuity consulting and related services. The company boasts some of the continent's most highly skilled and qualified business continuity and disaster management experts who help companies, organisations and government departments of all sizes prepare for and deal with all eventualities. These include potential threats, events, incidences and unforeseen or sudden disruptions due to human error or natural events.

The largest recovery facilities in southern Africa

ContinuitySA operates the largest recovery facilities in southern Africa. It has a number of recovery centres in South Africa, with over 20 000 square metres of recovery facilities in Midrand, Gauteng. A smaller site of 3 000 square metres is located in Cape Town. The company has already established a 1 500 square metre site in Gaborone, Botswana, and is in the process of furthermore expanding business into Africa through Mauritius and Mozambique and as well in the Middle East.