What mistakes should you avoid when developing a cybersecurity business continuity plan?

1 Not conducting a risk assessment

A risk assessment is a process of identifying and evaluating the potential threats and vulnerabilities that could affect your IT infrastructure, data and operations. A risk assessment can help you prioritize the most critical assets and processes, determine the acceptable level of risk and define the appropriate mitigation and recovery strategies. Without a risk assessment, your BCP may be based on unrealistic assumptions, incomplete information or outdated scenarios, and may not address the actual risks that your organization faces.

2 Not involving the right stakeholders

A BCP is not a document that only the IT department or the management should be concerned with. A BCP should involve the input and collaboration of various stakeholders across your organization, such as business units, departments, functions, suppliers, customers and regulators. Each stakeholder may have different roles, responsibilities, expectations and requirements in the event of a disruption, and they should be consulted and informed throughout the BCP development and implementation process. Not involving the right stakeholders can result in a BCP that is misaligned, inconsistent or ineffective.

3 Not testing and updating the BCP

A BCP is not a static document that you can create once and forget about. A BCP should be tested and updated regularly to ensure that it works as intended, reflects the current state of your IT environment and meets the changing needs and expectations of your organization and stakeholders. Testing the BCP can help you identify and correct any gaps, errors or weaknesses, as well as evaluate the performance and readiness of your staff, systems and processes. Updating the BCP can help you incorporate any feedback, lessons learned, best practices or new developments that may affect your BCP.

4 Not training and educating the staff

A BCP is not a document that only the IT staff or the BCP team should be familiar with. A BCP should be communicated and disseminated to all the staff in your organization, especially those who have critical roles or tasks in the event of a disruption. Training and educating the staff can help you ensure that they understand the purpose, scope and objectives of the BCP, as well as their roles, responsibilities and actions in executing the BCP. Training and educating the staff can also help you raise their awareness, confidence and commitment to the BCP.

5 Not aligning the BCP with the business strategy

A BCP is not a document that only focuses on the technical aspects of cybersecurity and IT recovery. A BCP should be aligned with the overall business strategy and objectives of your organization, as well as the expectations and requirements of your stakeholders. Aligning the BCP with the business strategy can help you ensure that the BCP supports and enhances your competitive advantage, value proposition and customer satisfaction, as well as complies with any relevant laws, regulations or standards. Aligning the BCP with the business strategy can also help you justify and optimize the resources, costs and benefits of the BCP.

By avoiding these common mistakes, you can develop a more effective and reliable cybersecurity business continuity plan that can help you protect and recover your IT systems, data and operations in the event of a cyberattack or a disaster.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?