Business Continuity in the News

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Survey pinpoints lack of business continuity planning

Small and medium sized companies lack business continuity plans, according to a new survey. The index revealed that only a third of managers of SMEs are taking steps to ensure that their business can continue to operate normally under any circumstances.

As consumers the SMEs are much less understanding when a product or service is unavailable. Less than 10 % of those surveyed would wait for a product to become available if they found it to be out of stock. More than 80 % would select another product or go to a different retailer.

Keith Tilley, managing director and executive vice president of SunGard, who conducted the survey, said: 'It appears to be a case of 'Do as I say, not as I do' for small business managers.'

He added: 'Forty percent of SMEs in the UK would suffer total or severe impairment to business operations in the event of computer hardware failure; 45 % would suffer total or severe impairment to business operations following a power cut or a flood; and only 10 % would suffer no impairment and be able to function as normal in the event of a fire.'

Less than 10 % of SME managers surveyed had heard of BS 25999, the first British Standard for Business Continuity Management.