What Is Business Continuity Planning (BCP)?
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What Is Business Continuity Planning?
Business Continuity Planning (BCP) is the process of preparing a documented plan for how a business will keep critical operations running — or resume them quickly — during and after a disruption, whether that's a cyberattack, a fire, a natural disaster, a power outage or the loss of key staff. It's broader than IT disaster recovery, covering people, processes and facilities as well as systems.
Key Components of a BCP
A solid BCP typically includes a business impact analysis (identifying which functions are most critical and how quickly they need to be restored), a risk assessment of likely threats, defined recovery strategies and alternate work arrangements, a clear communication plan for staff and customers, and — specifically for IT — a disaster recovery plan covering backups, failover systems and recovery time objectives.
Why Every Business Needs One
Every business benefits from having one, but it's especially important for organisations that customers or regulators expect to keep running with minimal interruption — finance, healthcare, and any business handling sensitive data or time-critical services. A plan that's written once and never tested tends to fail exactly when it's needed, so regular drills and updates are as important as the initial document itself.