How to become A Business Continuity Planner

Business Continuity Planners expect the best, plan for the worst, and prepare to be surprised. They conduct risk assessments, design strategies for what to do in case of emergencies, and conduct mock disasters to prepare businesses for a disaster.

• Disaster Recovery Analyst
• IT Service Continuity Supervisor
• Risk Assessment Analyst
• Business Continuity Coordinator

What do Business Continuity Planners do?

A Business Continuity Planner would typically need to:

• Develop, maintain, or implement business continuity and disaster recovery strategies & solutions
• Create or administer training and awareness presentations or materials; establish, maintain or test call trees to ensure appropriate communication during a disaster
• Investigate legal issues; interpret government regulations and applicable codes to ensure compliance
• Create scenarios to re-establish operations after various types of business disruptions
• Plan, conduct, and debrief regular mock-disaster exercises to test the adequacy of existing plans and strategies; regularly update procedures and techniques
• Develop disaster recovery plans for physical locations with critical assets, such as data centers
• Coordinate continuity efforts after a disruption event; conduct or oversee contingency plan integration and operation
• Identify acceptable recovery time and resource requirements by analyzing the impact on and risk to essential business functions or information systems
• Test documented disaster recovery strategies and plans; review existing business continuity plans and identify opportunities for strategic improvement
• Design or implement products and services to mitigate risk or facilitate the use of technology-based tools and methods
• Conduct or oversee the collection of corporate intelligence to avoid fraud, financial crime, cyber-attack, terrorism, and infrastructure failure
• Analyze corporate intelligence data to identify trends, patterns, or warnings indicating threats to the security of people, assets, information, or infrastructure
• Recommend or implement methods to monitor, evaluate or enable the resolution of safety, operations, or compliance interruptions
• Prepare reports summarizing testing activities, including descriptions of goals, planning, scheduling, execution, results, analysis, conclusions, and recommendations

A Business Continuity Planner spends a significant part of their workday inside an environmentally controlled office. They may either be at a desk or conducting meetings and training programs. They usually have the freedom to make decisions without supervision.

Those in a consultancy role may need to travel across business locations, domestic and international, depending upon the reach of their services. A business casual dress code would be the most fitting unless the occasion calls for something different.

Most Business Continuity Planners have the standard 40-hour workweek with a regular 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. schedule. An imminent or active disaster may throw a spanner into the works and require you to work for however long it may take to bring the situation under reasonable control. 

Finding a new job might seem challenging. Business Continuity Planners can boost their job search by asking their network for referrals, contacting companies directly, using job search platforms, going to job fairs, leveraging social media, and inquiring at staffing agencies. Freelancing and self-employment are highly viable options once the incumbent gains significant expertise and experience in the field.

Business Continuity Planners are generally employed by:

• Consultancies
• Government Agencies
• Hospitals
• Corporate Entities
• Small & Medium-Sized Businesses

Professional associations and organizations like the Association of Continuity Professionals and The Business Continuity Institute are a crucial resource for Business Continuity Planners interested in pursuing professional development or connecting with like-minded professionals in their industry or occupation. Membership in one or more adds value to your resume while bolstering your credentials and qualifications.

• Maintaining a culture of preparedness in the face of a lack of management support, training, and business continuity awareness
• Identification of critical processes and budget restraints
• Achieving a constant state of readiness regardless of the rate of employee turnover
• Coordination with external responders/suppliers

A Business Continuity Planner specializes in coordinating, supervising, managing, or training others. As such, they need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and vocational training to earn the requisite skills and knowledge. Previous career experience as a project manager, administrative assistant, or business consultant may give you an edge in the job market.Get an internship or part-time job with a company that offers business continuity planning services.

As in any career, reading as much as possible about the profession, talking with a high school coun­selor, and interviewing those working in business continuity planning are other important ways to explore your interest.

Most Business Continuity Planners choose a bachelor’s degree in business management, marketing & advertising management, leadership & organizational health, criminal justice, accounting, or cybersecurity management & leadership. Some try to make do with an associate degree, while others opt for advanced knowledge with an MBA.

Ensure the program you opt for includes courses on administration & management, public safety & security, communications & media, customer & personal service, computers & electronics, law & government, education & training, and telecommunications.

Select high school classes that prepare you for college and get a job. Some classes may offer early college credit that will save you time and money towards your college expenses. Identify extra-curricular activities that are related to your career interest.

Certification demonstrates competence in a skill or set of skills, typically through work experience, training, the passage of an examination, or some combination of the three.

Certification from an objective and reputed organization in business analysis, cybersecurity, continuity management systems, and distressed business valuation can help Business Continuity Planners gain professional credibility, increase their chances for advancement, and carry a significant salary premium of up to 18 percent.

Performance, experience, and acquisition of professional qualifications drive career progression. Incumbents in a hierarchical setup may aspire to advance to the position of Head of Business Continuity Planning. Those who choose the path of freelancing and self-employment will find career advancement in the form of greater recognition in their chosen industry, followed by increased clientele and revenue.

Experienced incumbents who are composed, confident, and can think on their feet will have the best job prospects.

Continuing professional development (CPD) is the holistic commitment of Business Continuity Planners towards enhancing personal skills and proficiency throughout their active careers through work-based learning, a professional activity, formal education, or self-directed learning.

There are a host of CPD courses, seminars, and workshops to keep abreast of new developments and technologies related to disaster recovery and business continuity.

CPD allows individuals to upskill continually, regardless of their age, job, or level of knowledge. It prevents practical and academic qualifications from becoming outdated. It enables a Business Continuity Planner to identify any knowledge gaps and progress to a new specialism.

There is no point in having a plan A unless you have a plan B when it comes to business. Plan A might be the route to profits. Still, plan B is the means to surviving any potential challenges because every business is at risk of minor/major interruptions from potential natural or human-made disasters. Your plan to recover from disaster and get back on track to plan A and the plan to continue running your business during lesser disturbances - your disaster recovery and business continuity plans will ensure that your business and you are not caught off guard.

The Road Best Not Taken

Among the common pitfalls that can increase a company’s risk of disaster is the lack of a business continuity plan, risk assessment, business impact analysis, prevention, and recovery plan.

Potential Disruptors: Natural & Human-Made

Your list may include data loss, cyberattacks, malware & viruses, network & internet disruptions, hardware & software failures, fire, natural disasters, inclement weather, flooding (including pipe bursts), terrorist attacks, office vandalism/destruction, and workforce stoppages (transportation blockages & strikes). There could be umpteen other unique elements that can potentially disrupt your business. Add them to your list.

Cover all Bases

Detail each one of the elements that could land you in a grind-to-a-halt situation if it is missing: people, premises, power, internet, hardware, software, and water, to name but a few. Look at your list of essentials and list down all the reasons your critical systems and functions might stop working. People: could a virus have struck down a number of your staff, or could you have received resignations from crucial members? Although it sounds pessimistic and defeatist, preparing for many catastrophic eventualities is a positive exercise. Rank the disasters based on their likelihood as well as the level of impact on the business.

Put pen to paper, conjure up the various probabilities, and put in place a viable Plan B, which may involve inputs from your core suppliers. E.g., even if you have seemingly fool-proof cloud systems, establish whether you have both central and emergency power supplies for your computer to access the cloud environment. Set your recovery time objective. How long can you cope in the absence of departing staff before replacing them? Knowing just how long you can last in plan B will help you prioritize the importance of putting new systems in place to preserve plan A or continue in a robust plan B mode.

Assign roles and responsibilities. Ensure you have calm and quick-thinking key personnel to initiate the plan in case disaster strikes. Who will take their place in case they are not available at the time? Save precious time by having at hand a directory of emergency contacts such as your bank’s fraud report line, localized emergency services, utility providers, and professional indemnity insurer.

Ensure your business continuity plan covers a range of preventative and detective measures, from SSL encryption and anti-virus software to CCTV surveillance and fire alarms. Map out the various contingency phases - response, resumption, recovery, and restoration - in your disaster recovery plan. A coordinated effort between all parties involved will help you figure out how to resume mission-critical operations within the shortest time frame.

Regular and rigorous testing will enable your plan to stand up to the most disruptive events. Record the dates, scenarios, and outcomes of each major operational undertaking so that you can analyze and address any shortcomings in the plan.

Maintain and update your plans every time an element within your working environment or infrastructure changes and people with assigned responsibilities leave or join your business. Cultivate a third-party managed services provider to provide the business continuity and disaster recovery plans if your business lacks the essential resources to do so in-house.

Data - The Lifeblood of Business Operations

Data encompasses all the emails, files, software, and operating systems that companies depend on regularly. A significant loss of data caused by ransomware, human error, or some other mishap can be disastrous to a business of any size. Backing up data via hybrid cloud technology, instant virtualization, ransomware detection, and automatic backup verification ensure business operations are minimally impacted.

Freelance Vs. Full-Time Work

A freelance Business Continuity Planner enjoys freedom with regard to flexible schedules, working hours, and location. They have full ownership of the business and can afford selectivity in terms of the variety of projects and clients presented. While it has unlimited earning potential, freelancing also has less stability and security, with inconsistent work and cash flow. There is more responsibility, effort, and risk involved. There are no paid holidays, and sick/maternity/paternity leaves are almost unaffordable. There is the added pressure of a self-employment tax and no eligibility for unemployment benefits.

However, a full-time Business Continuity Planner has access to company-sponsored health benefits, insurance, and retirement plans. They have job security with a fixed, reliable source of income and guidance from their bosses. Despite the above benefits, they are susceptible to potential boredom and inability to pursue passion projects due to their lack of time or effort. There is a lack of flexibility, ownership, and variety, compounded by the need to set aside funds for commuting and attire costs.

When deciding between freelancing or being a full-time employee, consider the pros and cons to see what works best for you.

An extensive study conducted by Emerson in conjunction with the Ponemon Institute found that an unplanned data center outage in 2016 cost a business nearly US$9000 a minute.

Change is the only constant. The world we are planning for today may devolve into a completely different form tomorrow. Business Continuity Planners bring the future into the present so they can do something about it now. Even while they plan to be better prepared today, they never plan to be finished.

There’s no one formula for recovery. The same disaster can devastate businesses in divergent ways – a hurricane might tear the roof off one restaurant, flood another, and leave a third with little damage.