Business Continuity Manual, Business Continuity Guide

Business Continuity Planning Methodology (Business Continuity Handbook)

"An in-depth step-by-step business continuity guide to help you develop, test, and maintain your business continuity plan (BCP)."

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Business Continuity Guide Review/Comments

"I am really glad I purchased the business continuity book. The material is easy to read, easy to comprehend and current. The business continuity manual also dispels some of the misconceptions that other business continuity books and courses have taught. Most importantly, the business continuity handbook matches the regulatory requirements so there is no need to shop around in other sources to find those answers or to wonder what the author's source might be. Furthermore, the business continuity book is factual and is the best I have seen in the industry. It is written to represent a body of knowledge rather than a subjective perspective. This also means that the business continuity manual can be trusted as a resource guide in business continuity planning. Even though the business continuity handbook is written in a logical and linear fashion, it is easy to skip around without loosing the flow as each chapter is represented as a connection to the others. Again here, I found the business continuity manual to be a resource much like my dictionary." - - Carol W., CBRP, Charles Schwab Inc.

Description

With the business continuity book individuals will be able to utilize the six key stages of business continuity planning process:

Risk management
Business impact analysis
Business continuity strategy development
Business continuity plan development, testing, maintenance

Although there are many publications of business continuity books that explain BC planning, very few provide detailed methods on how to implement it; even fewer cover implementation of all six stages.

Business Continuity Planning Methodology is a single, comprehensive, text that explains the principles of business continuity planning and presents an easy to follow step-by-step methodology to implement its six stages. The business continuity handbook considers protection of mission critical business processes, resources, and services. It focuses on key resources such as IT systems and infrastructure, manufacturing and production equipment and products, facilities, work areas, vital records, and critical data. Additionally, the business continuity guide is consistent with business continuity industry standards, guidelines, and best practices such as ISO/IEC 17799, NFPA 1600, COBIT, and DRI International.

The business continuity book gives readers the skills to manage risks, conduct a business impact analysis, develop a business continuity strategy, and develop, test, and maintain a BCP. The main body of the business continuity guide contains chapters structured according to the six BC planning stages:

Risk Management

This chapter in the business continuity book introduces the key concepts of risk management and describes a framework for managing risks to business continuity. The framework includes steps for risk assessment, risk control options analysis, risk control implementation, risk control decision, and risk reporting. The business continuity guide further explains the concepts and implementation of these steps through examples of business continuity risk.

Business Impact Analysis

This chapter in the business continuity manual describes the steps for conducting a Business Impact Analysis (BIA) and explains the implementation of these steps through an example BIA scenario. The BIA steps include assessment of financial and operational impacts, identification of mission critical business functions and processes, identification of critical IT systems and applications, and determination of recovery requirements. Topics in this chapter include comparison of BIA and risk management; BIA benefits and responsibilities; methods of conducting a BIA; disaster-to-recovery time line and events; elements of the BIA such as Maximum Tolerable Downtime (MTD), Recovery Time Objective (RTO), Recovery Point Objective (RPO), Work Backlog, and Data Loss; summarized findings; and BIA report content.

Business Continuity Strategy Development

The business continuity strategy development framework presented in the business continuity handbook of this chapter is designed to help the reader determine the best strategy that will enable a timely and cost effective recovery from a potential business disruption. The business continuity guide describes the steps to identify recovery requirements and options, conduct a cost-benefit assessment, and identity and select the most viable recovery options. This chapter also discusses general considerations for developing a business continuity strategy, and provides recommendations for recovery contracts and service level agreements.

Business Continuity Plan Development

This chapter of the business continuity book is a guide for developing an effective BCP based on the results of the preceding stages. It explains the detailed structure and content for an effective plan and covers the key plan execution phases: initial response and notification, problem assessment and escalation, disaster declaration, plan implementation logistics, recovery and resumption, and restoration. The business continuity manual contains numerous examples of plan activities, procedures, and tasks help to explain the content required in the plan. This chapter also addresses the requirements for an emergency response plan and crisis communication plan.

Business Continuity Plan Testing

In this chapter the business continuity manual introduces the key concepts of business continuity plan testing and provides a framework for developing an effective test plan. The topics include test objectives, test benefits, test methods, test scenarios, test evaluation criteria, and test budget. The business continuity guide then explains the framework of the sequence of test plan development steps and addresses various issues and concerns that influence the test plan, such as test constraints, strategy, logistics, and risks.

Business Continuity Plan Maintenance

The focus of the business continuity handbook in this chapter is on maintaining the business continuity plan in a constant ready-state. It describes activities needed to ensure that the BCP always remains accurate, current, and complete. Topics covered in this chapter include BCP change management, plan testing, training, and audit.

This business continuity manual also contains the following appendices: a summary of deliverables resulting from the six stages of the BC planning process; summary of business continuity standard guidelines and best practices; business continuity resource information; and a glossary of business continuity terminology.

ISBN 0-9733725-0-8
(Special $145 USD)
Format Hardcover, 307 pg.

Akhtar Syed, Ph.D., CISSP
Afsar Syed, BMath., ABCP

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