“That will
never happen to me.” Famous last words, right? It’s better to plan for the worst and hope for the best. That’s what a solid business continuity plan is all about.
In this episode of B2B Tech Talk, Keri catches up with Citrix Technology Consultant Ryan Friess. Along with five elements of a successful business continuity plan, Ryan shares:
- Examples of Citrix working with partners to keep their businesses going despite disasters
- Why it’s important for organizations to mitigate the impact of reduced capacity
- Solutions that can help any organization be ready for the worst
"Resiliency—as well as technology—can overcome a lot of out-of-control circumstances." — Ryan Friess
5 steps to a successful business continuity plan
Ryan outlines
five elements that organizations need to have nailed down in order to support business continuity in a disaster.
Establish a team structure
Develop a set hierarchy so people don’t have to wonder who’s in charge in the case of an emergency. Also, determine a business continuity team including members from different areas of the company. Lastly, create supporting teams committed to related duties like emergency response and communications.
Have a plan in place
Recognize potential threats to your business process that can impact any of your locations. Prioritize the most essential functions and determine who will carry them out. Make sure to update your plan annually to reflect any changes.
Test your plan
Perform full emergency situations annually. Track your team’s results and identify where the plan could improve.
Develop a crisis communication strategy
Set emergency notification procedures, identify all stakeholders for crisis communications and prepare scripted communications that are clear to understand.
Educate people on safety methods
Make sure your workforce is aware of the procedures they should follow in case of a crisis. Conduct drills in order for personnel to become familiar with the emergency response.
For more on successful business continuity, see Citrix’s complete
Guidelines for Maintaining Business Continuity for Your Organization.
Check out these related resources on empowering and
securing your remote workforce,
business continuity guidelines,
additional info on Citrix ADC and accessing
the Citrix demo.