Implementation of Business Continuity Planning (BCP)
Plans are prepared in case of disasters. This regards situations of low probability but with consequences that are difficult to estimate. These include fire, flood, chemical contamination, sabotage, terrorism the occurrence of which is unforeseeable. The basis for business continuity management are BS 25999, ISO 22301 standards, research of the Disaster Recovery Institute and the set of best practices in crisis management.
The activities carried out by ESKOM are divided into three stages:
Organisation review
A comprehensive review consisting in identification of critical business processes and resources, elements necessary to maintain or restore them, combined with analysis of impact of incidents on business operations (Business Impact Analysis – BIA).
Risk analysis
Critical incident risk analysis.
Preparation of scenarios
Preparation of detailed scenarios of actions to be taken in case of crisis situations.
Implementation of Business Continuity Planning – benefits:
Damage control
The assumption of the Business Continuity Plan is making sure the Organisation survives until the status from before the failure is restores. Business Continuity Planning allows to minimise both financial losses and non-measurable damage, such as loss of reputation or trust of business partners and clients. Research shows that these risks (and not financial losses) account for 70% in the total loss balance.
Process optimisation
Work on the Plan is a perfect opportunity to structure and optimise the business processes of the Organisation and, thus, reduce the operating costs.
Top quality and security
