I am a Business Continuity Manager ... and I want to create a BCP! (Part 2)

During recent trainings, some questions and doubts have been raised regarding the use of the AI to create some plans.

I personally don’t have any doubts regarding the capability of the AI to create anything. A Business Continuity Plan (BCP) is not and won’t be an exception.

A BCP is a “documented information that guides an organization to respond to a disruption and resume, recover and restore the delivery of products and services consistent with its business continuity objectives.”

With the right intel, AI could create a document in order to guide any recovery. Could AI create it without designing a strategy? As a BCM professional, you know that this step is absolutely necessary. Nevertheless, an AI could merge steps at the same time, so why not? Capability is not an issue for the AI, it all depends on the data we inject into it.

In my opinion, the issue is elsewhere. Could AI create something better than us? It might and it will certainly do. Then our job is not to fight against the inevitable but use it to create something event better.

In the last article, I mentioned that “NO ONE will read or open a 50 (even 20) pages plan in case of an event.”

It is cleared that we could use the AI to optimize our format, the content and, why not, innovate in our area.

Based on certain amount of information (half page), I asked the AI to design some strategies and create a BCP.

This is the result of this exercise with “Copilot”:

Business Continuity Strategy for Accounting Area

1. ?Process Recovery Strategy: Financial Reporting Process: Objective: Ensure timely delivery of financial reports to the Central Bank by 5 PM every weekday. Recovery Time Objective (RTO): 2 hours. Recovery Point Objective (RPO): 0 hours (no data loss). Strategies: Redundant Systems: Maintain redundant systems for financial reporting. Backup Data: Regularly back up financial data to secure servers. Manual Processes: Establish manual processes (email, shared folders, printed documents) as a fallback if the primary system (ZEUS) is unavailable. Remote Access: Ensure that all critical staff can access financial data remotely via VPN and Office 365. Testing: Regularly test the recovery process to validate its effectiveness.
2. Space Recovery Strategy: Location: The accounting area is located on the 5th floor of the headquarters building in Santo Domingo. Remote Work Capability: All staff have laptops and VPN access. Staff can work from home or other remote locations. Ensure that remote work infrastructure is robust and secure.
3. People Recovery Strategy: Critical Positions: Manager: Identify a backup manager who can step in if needed. Supervisor: Cross-train another staff member to handle supervisory tasks. Analysts: Cross-train additional analysts to cover critical functions. Communication: Establish clear communication channels during disruptions. Regular check-ins with remote staff. Encourage feedback and address issues promptly.
4. IT Recovery Strategy: ZEUS Unavailability: If ZEUS is not available, staff should switch to manual processes. Ensure IT support is available to address technical issues. Regularly test ZEUS failover and recovery procedures.

Business Continuity Plan for Accounting Area

1. Purpose and Objectives

• Purpose: Ensure uninterrupted financial reporting to the Central Bank.
• Objectives: Maintain daily financial reporting by 5 PM (Monday to Friday). Safeguard financial data. Minimize downtime during disruptions.

2. Key Stakeholders

• Accounting Staff: Responsible for financial processes. Critical roles: Manager, Supervisor, Analysts.
• Management: Decision-makers overseeing accounting operations.
• IT Personnel: Manage systems and technology.
• External Partners: Central Bank (for reporting).

3. Risk Assessment and Scenarios

• Potential Risks: Natural Disasters (earthquakes, floods, fires). Cyberattacks (data breaches, ransomware). Staff Shortages (unexpected absences).
• Impact Assessment: Evaluate impact on financial reporting functions.

4. Contingency Plans

a. Financial Reporting Process

• Redundant Systems: Maintain backup systems for financial reporting.
• Backup Data: Regularly back up financial data to secure servers.
• Manual Processes: If ZEUS (primary system) is unavailable: Retrieve information manually from email, shared folders, or printed documents.
• Remote Access: Ensure all staff can access data remotely via VPN and Office 365.
• Testing: Regularly test recovery procedures.

b. Space Recovery

• Location: Accounting area on the 5th floor in Santo Domingo.
• Remote Work Capability: Staff can work from home or other remote locations. Robust remote work infrastructure.

c. People Recovery

• Critical Positions: Manager: Identify backup manager. Supervisor: Cross-train another staff member. Analysts: Cross-train additional analysts.
• Communication: Clear channels during disruptions. Regular check-ins with remote staff.

d. IT Recovery

• ZEUS Unavailability: If ZEUS is down: Switch to manual processes. IT support available. Test ZEUS failover.

5. Communication

• Internal: Email, intranet, messaging platforms.
• External: Notify clients, vendors, regulators.
• Emergency Contacts: Maintain an updated list.

6. Physical Premises and Backups

• Physical Locations: Identify primary and secondary office spaces. Safety protocols during evacuations.
• Data Backups: Regular backups to secure servers. Off-site backups (cloud or external drives).

The result is not convincing, and we might not be able to recover easily. Some strategies have been repeated and not detailed at all. With more information, we certainly would get more details on procedures or strategies. And the interesting part is the diversity of ideas (that we would have thought too without a doubt) and the very concise presentation, even if I prefer the tables.

AI is not the enemy, our resistance to change is. So, let’s embrace it and enjoy new tools that will help us to do our job.

To be continued …