Month: March 2023

Reviewing your Business Continuity Plan (BCP) is really a part of good business practice.

As we’ve seen in New Zealand lately, the unexpected ‘can’ happen, and after the fact is often too late.

So what is a Business Continuity Plan?

A business continuity plan (BCP) is a living breathing document that consists of the critical information an organization needs, to continue operating during and after an unplanned event:

• BCP helps in events such as natural disasters or cyber-attacks.
• BCP are designed to protect personnel and assets and make sure they can function quickly when disaster strikes.
• In order for a BCP to remain relevant, they need to be reviewed at least annually and/or when the business changes.

Your BCP will cover much more than just your IT, and what it looks like for your business will depend upon what type of business you have and what is important to you.

Why do you need a BCP?

If you have a good BCP, you should be able to come through an emergency much better than if you don’t. Failure to plan for scenarios can be devastating to your business.

Ultra IT can advise on how to ensure critical systems remain operational in the event of a disaster or major problem such as a server or network outage by:

• allowing timely recovery of critical operations.
• minimising loss.
• meeting legal and regulatory requirements.

So, what does your plan need to cover? 

It doesn’t need to be complicated, and it doesn’t need to be long. The most important thing is that it is kept up to date and that it covers the key things for your business to protect it and keep operating.

Even the most basic of plans is a lot better than having no plan at all.

At its most basic, the BCP identifies the most critical aspects of the business that need to be kept running, the systems and processes that run them, and covers how they will be done during and immediately after an emergency.

From an IT perspective, consider the following things:

1. How does your business run? What are your most important systems and pieces of equipment, etc.
2. What are the potential disaster scenarios you face? Earthquake, flood, fire, etc for sure. But what about – loss of power, key people can’t get to work because the bridge near you is washed away etc?
3. How likely are those disaster scenarios, and how will they affect your operations?
4. What are the most important things you need to be able to continue doing to survive?
5. How can you do those things, or reduce the risk to your business? You are likely looking for simple, practical steps.

An IT Systems audit is often a good place to start. What IT systems do you have, and which ones are the most critical? Can you operate without your computers if the power goes off? How? Going back to paper and pen for a while could be what you need to do!

Ultra IT can review your systems to make sure they’re meeting your business objectives, ensure you have a secure operation by creating reference documents, as well as recommending improvements. 

If you already have an established BCP make sure:

• It is up to date, and has been tested. 
• Look at both the best and worst case scenarios. 
• Understand your risks and apportion the appropriate resources to minimize those risks.
• Make the plan proactive.
• Know your suppliers, providers and have updated contact information. 

Ask these questions:

• Is your BCP still relevant to our business? 
• Has our business changed and/or grown so much that we need to update the business plan?

To Summarise: 

Most importantly have a plan, revise it, communicate it to your team, know what to do, and who to call. 

If you don’t know where to start, or would like advice, feel free to reach out to us here at Ultra IT. We can’t advise on all the aspects of your business, but we can help with your IT systems and the functions they enable you to perform.

There are many types of IT support available for a business, and the two most common are “managed services” and “block hours support.” In this article, we’ll look at what these are, the advantages and disadvantages of each, and which one might be right for you.

What Is Block Hours Support?

With block hours support, you pre-pay a single provider for a certain amount and type of service. It’s usually a “block” or fixed number of hours, but it can also be a fixed dollar amount or an amount for a specific project.

What Are the Advantages of Block Hours Support?

Block hours support is usually cheaper than hiring your own staff. The provider has skilled staff with up-to-date training, so they can quickly and efficiently handle your needs. Your provider can also give you a bulk discount when you purchase more hours at a time.

And with a block hours agreement, you pay only for what you need. For example, you can save money by maintaining only the infrastructure and staff you need when you need it. That allows you to avoid a closet full of expensive hardware that you thought you were going to need or staff that don’t have enough to do.

What Are the Disadvantages of Block Hours Support?

Block hours support is what’s called a “break/fix” type of service. In other words, your provider isn’t usually involved until you have a problem. You wait until something goes wrong, and then call your provider to fix it.

That doesn’t give you the advantage of constant monitoring and management that can prevent problems before they start. That’s especially important for things such as cybersecurity, where it’s best to detect an attack and prevent damage instead of trying to fix it.

In addition, everyone’s IT operations are unique, so it helps to have someone who’s familiar with your setup when you need help. But a block hours support provider usually can’t guarantee that you’ll always get the same technician or even the best technician for your job. That means your service might be slower or less effective than a more comprehensive approach.

Reacting to a problem after it occurs also means you could experience more downtime. It could be hours before your provider can respond to your call and fix the problem. If you can’t afford to wait, you probably need a more proactive solution.

What Are the Advantages of a Managed Services Agreement?

With a managed services agreement, you typically have the option of more comprehensive services. For instance, instead of just reactive troubleshooting, your provider can continuously monitor and manage your processes such as cybersecurity.

They can also provide more “premium” services, such as more comprehensive management and even strategic planning.

What Are the Disadvantages of a Managed Services Agreement?

Compared to “block hours support,” the main disadvantage of a managed services agreement may seem like it is cost, however in the long term this often works out to be more cost effective. Typically, larger organizations use more services, so this isn’t an issue for them, but for smaller businesses, it could be that contracting for managed services is overkill that could cost you money.

Which Solution is Right for You?

Block hours support works well if you don’t have a very large or complex operation, and you can afford the downtime you might experience when a problem arises.

Larger organizations can take advantage of premium services to help them save more on their operations.

Want help with all of this? Talk to the team at Ultra IT