:: Home :: Business continuity :: Business Continuity

Get Adobe reader

Change text to default size

Change text to medium size

Change text to large size

Change text to extra-large size

Business Continuity

What is 'Business Continuity'?

Business Continuity is the process that an organisation puts into place to ensure that essential activities can continue during a disaster and get back to a normal level of operation as quickly as possible.  Business continuity planning is considerably more widespread in larger organisations, with a serious gap in small to medium sized enterprises. Unfortunately it is the smaller organisations who struggle to recover and continue trading after major disasters, so it is those who really need to use the information on this site.

How can we help?

The Business Continuity Team is part of the Suffolk Joint Emergency Planning Unit (JEPU); we can help you or direct you to resources and people who can offer specialist help.

The Business Continuity Team is:-

Rick Thornton (Business Continuity Manager) - 01473 260439    -   Lesley Pretlove (Business Continuity Officer) - 01473 264099

rick.thornton@suffolk.gov.uk                                                      lesley.pretlove@suffolk.gov.uk


A simple plan in place within your organisation will go a long way to being prepared. There are 5 basic steps which organisations should follow when putting together a business continuity plan.

Your quick guide to business continuity. (pdf 31k)

A 10 Minute Self Assessment (pdf 69k)

Suffolk Resilience Business Continuity Forum

This is a forum for businesses and voluntary organisations who wish to gain from each other's knowledge and experience of business continuity.
Find out more and join, it's free!

Your Step-By-Step Guide to Business Continuity

Select each one of the links below to work through the process:

1.   Analyse your organisation (pdf 46k)
       What bits are important?
       (BIA Template) (MS Word 392k)

2.   Assess the risks (pdf 41k)
       What might go wrong?

3.   Develop a strategy (pdf 53k)
       What is your approach?

4.   Develop your plan (pdf 69k)
       What would you do on the day?
       (BCP Template) (MS Word 387k)

5.   Testing your plan. (pdf 20k)
       Making sure it works

Step by Step

Supply Chain

One area of risk that should not be overlooked is a company’s supply chain. Check your vulnerability:

·         Do you source from a single company?

·         Could you find an alternative supplier easily?

·         Do they appear well run and reliable?

Before procuring any new services, consider asking if they have any Business Continuity arrangements.

 

Click on this case studies link which shows what could happen if your supply chain becomes vulnerable.

 

Click here for a downloadable questionnaire that you could use to access a suppliers business continuity readiness.

 

Don’t be caught out!

 

 

 

 

 

Useful Web Sites

General Business Continuity ‘know how’ from the Government

UK Resilience – Advice from the Cabinet Office.
Website: www.ukresilience.info/preparedness/businesscontinuity  
A good starting point and where you will find a link to the useful Business Continuity management Toolkit (pdf 570k)

London Prepared- Everything a business needs for BCM including check lists, templates to download and case studies
Web site: www.londonprepared.gov.uk/businesscontinuity/index.jsp

Emergency Preparedness - Advice from the Government
Web site: http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Governmentcitizensandrights/Dealingwithemergencies/Preparingforemergencies/DG_176539

Governing Bodies

The Business Continuity Institute
Web site: http://www.thebci.org/ 
Including the Good Practice Guidelines and standards such as BS26999

Flood Information

Information on protecting your business from floods from Business Link
Flood Check List For Businesses (pdf 33k)
Download this template flood plan from the Environment Agency business advice page on flooding

Pandemic Flu

Information to prepare your business against pandemic flu: Business Continuity - Pandemic Influenza Information                                                                                                                                     

Risk Registers

Government risk register: http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/reports/national_risk_register.aspx

Suffolk Community Risk Register: http://www.suffolkresilience.com/index.html

 

Suffolk Business Continuity Consultants

(This list is not exhaustive and is intended for information only. It in no way implies endorsement, promotion or favour by the Joint Emergency Planning Unit of any individual or company.)

Leslie Mosley, Pandemic Flu Planning Consultant leslie.moseley@btinternet.com

Andy Mills. BSc CEng MIET MBCI - millsar@btinternet.com

David Hopps, CPP MsyI - www.fourpillarssecurity.co.uk

Denis Uphi - www.rel-net.co.uk

Kit Wells - www.littlegreenconsulting.com

John Matthews - http://www.resiliencesolutions.org.uk

The information given in this Business Continuity Guidance is provided as general information about planning for business disruption. It is not intended to replace detailed guidance and planning specific to you and your business. You should consider whether you need to obtain this. To the extent permitted by law, neither Suffolk County Council nor its partner organisations assumes any responsibility for information on this website and disclaim all liability in respect thereof.

file://business_continuity/business_continuity_in_suffolk.html |