Creating a cybersecurity business continuity plan

Cyber attacks can disrupt businesses, causing issues with everything from your customer databases to supply chain management. But smart business leaders know that preparation is the key to resilience, both now and in the future. That’s where business continuity planning in cybersecurity comes in.

A business continuity plan (or BCP for short) forms part of a robust cybersecurity strategy. Your cybersecurity strategy should lay out the overarching framework for protecting your business, while your business continuity plan and BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) policy work as complementary components, each addressing specific aspects of your overall cyber resilience.

In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to create a business continuity plan for cybersecurity, helping you to stay on track after any cyber attacks, as well as a security business plan template to make sure you get it right the first time.

What is a business continuity plan in cybersecurity?

A business continuity plan in cybersecurity is a comprehensive strategy designed to make sure that your organisation can maintain critical operations during – and after – a cyber incident.

A BCP is different to an incident response plan. An incident response plan tells your IT team exactly what they should do during or right after an attack. Your BCP, on the other hand, is more general. Rather than fixing a problem that’s already happened, it ensures your business can keep running while the problem is fixed.

Why cybersecurity BCP is critical for SMEs

It’s not just the impact of the attack itself that can cost businesses, but everything that comes after, too. We’re talking about business disruption, customer churn, and reputation damage that can come along with cyber incidents. A robust BCP can help businesses to:

• Minimise downtime: How long would it take your business to recover from a cyber attack? A thorough BCP can dramatically reduce recovery time by providing clear procedures and different ways of operating to keep your business functioning as it should.

• Maintain services during disruption: With a solid BCP, you can continue to serve customers even when your systems are compromised, helping you to maintain the trust that took years to build.

• Maintain your reputation: Your BCP should include communication strategies that help you to weather the storm.

• Ensure compliance: Regulatory requirements are ever-changing, and many industries mandate specific cybersecurity measures. A BCP can help to demonstrate due diligence and reduce the risk of non-compliance.

What are the 5 steps of a business continuity plan?

Creating an effective cybersecurity business continuity plan involves five essential steps. These steps ensure you know exactly what might be impacted in the case of a cyber attack, and what you need to do, so you can keep your business running. The steps are:

1. Risk assessment:

2. Business impact analysis:

3. Strategy development:

4. Documentation:

5. Testing and maintenance:

Key elements every SME cybersecurity BCP needs

So, what should you write into your business continuity plan? While every business is different, with different priorities and different risk levels, there are a few key elements that should be included in every BCP. These include:

• Defined roles and responsibilities: Who will be responsible for what during a crisis situation? Everyone should know their role and responsibilities if a cyber attack does take place.

• Communication frameworks: Pre-drafted communications can come in handy during a breach to make sure that the message is accurate and is communicated swiftly.

• Recovery priorities: What business functions do you need to keep the business running? These need to be top priority, and your BCP should rank your business processes by importance.

• Data backup and recovery strategies: If your data is affected, how will you get it back? Your BCP should outline the plan, including regular testing of backup systems and clear procedures for data recovery.

• Alternative operational procedures: Document any manual workarounds and alternative ways of working your team should use in the case of your systems and usual operational procedures being disrupted.

Download your BCP planning checklist

Looking to create a cybersecurity business continuity plan from scratch? Our comprehensive checklist provides SMEs with a practical starting point. Want more help with BCP planning, or like to learn more about cybersecurity across the board? Our V-Hub Digital Advisers are here to help.