The Covid-19 pandemic has changed perceptions of business continuity (BC) – in the public sector as much as anywhere.
As the lockdown began it became clear that a major priority of the past, to provide an alternative working space when people could not get to their desks, did not apply. Instead it threw the emphasis onto home and remote working, ensuring that people could continue to access networks and applications and to do their jobs when any communal workspace was out of bounds.
While the earlier concerns and the need for disaster recovery (DR) plans remain valid, the possibility of further lockdowns and a long term reduction in office working is creating the need for new approaches to BC. And there is a growing awareness of the need to embed it more deeply within organisations, making the case for ‘BC by design’ within each element of their operations.
On one hand there is a need for a different type of infrastructure, reducing the need for traditional data centres while exploiting cloud platforms. This reduces the risk of a single point of failure and removes the redundant capacity in the two data centre model.
It requires the right blend of public and private cloud with the degree of flexibility to respond to shifting pressures and new emergencies, along with the appropriate devices and connection protocols, accompanied by robust connectivity for employees in their homes.
Human needs
There is also a strong human element, with a need to ensure people are comfortable with the chosen technologies, and that they receive support their wellbeing in a more isolated working environment.
Along with this comes a new equation for cost versus risk in making BC plans, and the need for testing to identify how they will stand up to real world pressures. Then there is a need for new metrics to measure their effectiveness, taking in factors that have often been on the fringes of planning.
UKAuthority, in association with Rackspace Technology, has investigated these factors for a briefing paper, providing new perspectives and points for consideration in BC planning. It makes a valuable contribution to the debate on how BC will take shape in the light of the Covid-19 pandemic, and can inform thinking on how to develop new plans for a new outlook.
This paper is part of the UKAuthority & Rackspace Technology 2020 series of reports - If you would like to read more please fill in the form above to choose which papers and reports you wish to download
Image from iStock, jxszfy
