What are the key challenges and risks of IT continuity and availability management?

1 What is IT continuity management?

IT continuity management is the process of planning, designing, implementing, and testing the IT service continuity plan (ITSCP), which defines how IT services and systems will be restored or maintained in the event of a disaster or disruption. The ITSCP covers the recovery objectives, strategies, roles, responsibilities, and procedures for IT services and systems, as well as the resources, tools, and technologies required to support them. The ITSCP should align with the business continuity plan (BCP) and the disaster recovery plan (DRP) of the organization.

2 What is IT availability management?

IT availability management is the process of ensuring that IT services and systems meet the agreed availability levels and performance standards for the customers and users. Availability is the ability of an IT service or system to deliver its intended function when required, while performance is the efficiency and effectiveness of an IT service or system in delivering its intended function. Availability management involves measuring, monitoring, analyzing, reporting, and improving the availability and performance of IT services and systems, as well as identifying and resolving any availability or performance issues.

3 Why are IT continuity and availability management important?

IT continuity and availability management are important for several reasons. First, they help to protect the organization from the negative impacts of IT service or system failures, such as loss of revenue, reputation, customer satisfaction, productivity, or compliance. Second, they help to enhance the value and quality of IT services and systems for the customers and users, by ensuring that they are reliable, resilient, and responsive to their needs and expectations. Third, they help to optimize the use and allocation of IT resources, by reducing the costs and risks of downtime, inefficiency, or redundancy.

4 What are the key challenges of IT continuity and availability management?

IT continuity and availability management can be challenging, as it requires aligning objectives and requirements with business goals, establishing and maintaining policies, standards, and processes, assessing and managing risks, implementing and testing solutions, and measuring and reporting performance. All of these must be consistent, realistic, achievable, communicated, understood, followed, identified, analyzed, evaluated, mitigated, accepted, effective, efficient, adaptable, accurate, timely, and relevant for decision-making and improvement.

5 What are the best practices for IT continuity and availability management?

For IT continuity and availability management, it is best to adopt a proactive and holistic approach by integrating it with other ITSM processes. Applying the ITIL framework and standards, such as the ITIL service design package, the ITIL service level agreement, the ITIL availability plan, and the ITIL service continuity plan, is also recommended. Leveraging the best practices and technologies, such as the ISO 22301 standard for business continuity management, the ISO 27031 standard for IT security and continuity management, and the cloud computing, virtualization, and automation technologies for IT service and system recovery and redundancy, is also beneficial. Engaging and collaborating with the stakeholders, such as the business owners, the customers, the users, the IT staff, the suppliers, and the regulators, is essential to ensure they are involved, informed, and consulted throughout the IT continuity and availability management lifecycle.