Enhancing Resilience with Our Business Continuity Plan

November 2023 - Go to the Certification page

Research by the Disaster Recovery Preparedness Council reveals that nearly 70% of businesses, lacking a comprehensive Business Continuity Plan (BCP), face closure within years following significant data loss from unexpected disruptions. This statistic underscores the critical importance of having a robust BCP to ensure the survival and resilience of businesses in the face of challenges.

Responding to frequent inquiries about business continuity, we have conducted an in-depth review with our Quality team. The outcome? A unanimous decision to incorporate our Business Continuity Plan into our Quality Management System, under the ISO 13485:2016 standard, thereby embedding resilience as a core consideration in our decision-making process.

We believe in transparency and wish to guide our clients by sharing our approach to business continuity.

Starting from a thorough Risk Analysis, we focused on identifying and ranking risks and threats to evaluate our organization's maturity level. Next, we estimated how long it might take to recover from disruptions, assessed our ability to restore operations, and evaluated the strength of our current measures as well as any remaining risks. Finally, we outlined processes and assigned roles to manage risks, set actions and strategies to reduce them.

To quantify risks and establish benchmarks, we utilized a Maturity Model, a straightforward yet efficacious tool that helped us assess our present state and set goals for improvement. Our objective is to reach a PROACTIVE or RESILIENT maturity level in critical risk domains. This means we are not merely reacting to challenges as they unfold; we are preempting potential issues and minimizing their impacts. This proactive stance solidifies our commitment to reliability and support for our clients.

For example, in response to the escalating landscape of cyber threats, we have proactively elevated our security measures. This includes the roll-out of compulsory Cybersecurity Awareness Training for all staff, a move designed to transition our stance from PREPARED to PROACTIVE. This initiative is further reinforced through the integration of regular quizzes, ensuring that we remain vigilant and up-to-date.

The below chart of 2022 shows that the top employee mistakes leading to cyber incidents are poor password hygiene (80% of respondents), misuse of personal email (78%), and oversharing on social media (77%), with careless use of smartphones and collaboration tools also significant at 75%. These factors underscore the critical need for effective cybersecurity training and policies.

Our aim is to maintain operations during unexpected disruptions, ensuring the continuity of both our technological infrastructure and the business processes it supports. The primary advantage for our clients is the assurance that we are optimally equipped and prepared to manage unforeseen disruptions, guaranteeing operational continuity.

Instituting a Business Continuity Plan shows Advance Medical's strong dedication to safeguarding both our operations and our clients' interests. It's an indispensable instrument for organizations striving for heightened resilience and seamless business continuity.

Filippo Selden, CEO of Advance