A Guide to ISO 27001 Business Continuity Policy

Running a business comes with a lot of responsibilities, and those responsibilities include knowing what to do in case of an emergency. A bespoke, itemised list of continuity procedures is simply the best way to ensure your company is prepared for the worst.

That’s where an ISO 27001 business continuity plan comes in.

Addressing threats and preparing for emergencies is so much easier with a business continuity policy in place. Knowing what to look for and how to operate information security continuity controls now will save you trouble further down the line and keep you legally compliant – here’s how it works.

What Is An ISO Business Continuity Policy?

An ISO 27001 business continuity policy focuses on information management and implementing information security business continuity planning. This type of policy details the specific guidelines a business or organisation follows in light of a major incident or emergency.

Using an ISO 27001 business continuity incident management plan template helps stakeholders manage this information and address the potential risks, and incidents that occur. Emergencies can affect your business’s day-to-day operations, which will impact the company overall.

Having a template to base your plan on will streamline the process and give you an idea of what to prepare for. The ISO 27001 is an outline of what needs to be done in the case of an emergency – using an intuitive template ensures that your company is fully compliant while saving you time and effort.

The Four Major Components of an ISO 27001 Business Continuity Plan

An ISO 27001 business continuity plan template should include four major components that outline what to do in case of an emergency or serious incident. A template is quick and easy to use as opposed to writing a guideline from scratch, as it allows you to start with a general framework of the information you’ll want to include.

Protecting important information is vital to every business, and having a plan to keep it from being misused is critical. The four main parts of a successful ISO 27001 business continuity implementation are management support, business continuity testing, impact analysis, risk assessment, and a plan for the future.

Here’s the lowdown:

1. Management Support

Management support includes making sure that information never falls into the wrong hands. Only those who are meant to handle the sensitive data and information will have access to it, allowing them to review and evaluate information security used to operate day-to-day and plan accordingly. This streamlines the analysis and risk assessment of information security aspects part of the plan.

Additionally, management handles many aspects , like personnel training and disaster recovery plans, that you can implement through the ISO 27001 business continuity plan. Management support ensures proper oversight of systems during times of turmoil or disaster and also provides accountability.

2. Business Impact Analysis

The best ISO 27001 business continuity policies are bespoke to organisations – there’s no one-size-fits-all approach. A custom business impact analysis can help you craft a strong resilience policy that puts your company’s needs first.

Evaluating this availability of information processing can craft a roadmap for the future and the direction in which to take the company. Outlining these ideas and marking the key concepts that uphold them will lay the foundation for recovery in the event of an emergency.

When disaster strikes, it will have an impact. Being able to assess that damage and how it will change the course of your business during recovery is essential to continual growth in the aftermath. Estimating the consequences of disaster on day-to-day operations can prevent your business from collapsing in a worst-case scenario.

3. Risk Assessment (with Testing)

This step is integral to planning, as risk assessment periodic testing and monitoring ensure that the plan is viable long-term. Repeatedly testing and developing different strategies outlines recovery objectives and how successful they are projected to be.

A checklist describing the best/worst outcomes of a disaster can help you identify where your own business continuity event and plan performs well, and where it may need to be strengthened. It also ensures that your company can pick itself back up and get back on its feet. The recovery process isn’t easy, but proper risk assessment can mitigate the worst consequences.

4. Bespoke Business Continuity Plan

Building a recovery plan tailored to your business is essential. An ISO 27001+ business continuity management plan ensures that the recovery process has direction and is more likely to go smoothly.

Having a clear vision for the documentation minimises the risk of errors. Tracking the author, changes, dates, and version control histories for vital documents enables you to know what to do next and who to contact. The purpose of the policy, as well as the scope and the principles, should also be included to cover all bases moving forward.

ICT Readiness For Business Continuity

ICT readiness for business continuity describes the responsibilities of preparing the IT department’s operations, applications, and infrastructure, along with the associates involved, for unforeseen circumstances. ICT readiness for business continuity includes monitoring risks and events that could alter or impact the business’s operations.

When paired with a strong ISO 27001 business continuity plan template, ICT readiness gives your company the best protection against the worst-case scenario and its consequences. Unlike the plan itself, this deals directly with the data and personnel involved with the data.

How To Prepare For When Disaster Strikes

No matter how safe or prepared a company is, there is always risk involved. Minimising these risks protects sensitive information and data, but it cannot be completely safeguarded all the time. Unidentified flaws in your company’s infrastructure can lead to devastating consequences without a plan in place to follow when the unthinkable happens.

Following the plan removes uncertainty and provides direction. Here’s how to ensure that all goes smoothly and that the company comes out on top when information security is at risk.

Personnel Training

The first line of defence is with the employees and staff members. With proper ICT readiness for business continuity training and cutting-edge resilience software, the relevant workers will understand the risks involved and how to navigate them to get back on track.

Taking the time to invest in education and prevention is worthwhile. The best-designed resilience software is easy to integrate into a company’s existing infrastructure and can automate many processes, but full training should be provided whenever new technology is brought into the company.

Those in the business responsible for continuity should also be able to easily access support from the software provider where necessary.

Data Backups

Poorly managed or insecure data can easily be lost or compromised. Creating backups is the best way to ensure that data can be easily recovered in an emergency. Multiple backups reduce the risk of loss and enable the company to resume where it left off without having to start over from scratch.

Having physical backups as well as cloud backups is a great safety measure, but they need to be safeguarded and protected. Key employees should know where physical backups are stored as well as how to access cloud backups.

Recovery Plans

Once you’ve lined everything up, you must have a plan to implement it all. While an ISO 27001 business continuity plan template can help you get a checklist together, it’s important to contact a team of professionals who can help you get on the right track.

Disruptions to day-to-day operations with data are unacceptable, and software like C2 Meridian can help. Setting the framework for how to proceed enables the company to power through outages and downtimes.

Part of ICT readiness for business continuity includes getting data safely secured and backed up in the event of an emergency, whether that’s on the cloud or on separate drives to work through server outages. Each business has unique needs when it comes to data, and having professional help ensures that not only the recovery plan goes smoothly, but that all your data is secured and able to be used in emergencies.

A recovery plan is not the same as data recovery, though some of the responsibilities overlap. Contact our team with any questions to design the perfect disaster recovery strategy for your organisation.

How to Evaluate Information Security Continuity

Evaluating information security continuity is crucial for UK businesses, especially in today's digital landscape. It involves ensuring that your critical data and IT services remain available and secure, even during disruptions. Here's an overview and a couple of examples:

Overview of Evaluation

1. Risk Assessment: Identify potential threats to your IT systems and data. This includes cyber-attacks, natural disasters, or even human error. Understand the impact of these risks on business operations.

2. Business Impact Analysis (BIA): Determine how downtime or data loss will affect your business. Identify key information assets and systems that are critical for business continuity.

3. Implementing Robust Security Measures: Use firewalls, encryption, and secure access controls. Regularly update these measures to counter evolving threats.

4. Regular Testing and Audits: Regularly test your security measures and backup systems. Audits can reveal vulnerabilities and ensure compliance with standards like ISO 27001.

5. Training and Awareness: Ensure staff are trained to recognise threats like phishing attempts. Promote a culture of security awareness.

6. Incident Response Planning: Have a plan for responding to security breaches or data loss incidents. This should include steps for containment, investigation, and communication.

Examples of Information security

1. Phishing Attack Simulation: A UK retail company regularly conducts phishing simulations. Employees receive mock phishing emails to gauge their response and improve awareness. It helps identify potential vulnerabilities in employee behaviour and fortify human firewall aspects.

2. Disaster Recovery in Action: A financial services firm in London experienced a server outage due to a power failure. Thanks to their effective disaster recovery plan, they quickly switched to a backup data centre, preventing data loss and maintaining service continuity.

Next Steps

The next steps include outlining what will be done in light of the situation and how to keep the company or organisation from suffering from similar incidents again. If you’ve been left without access to time-sensitive data or client data due to a server outage outside your control, you know the situation can be dire. Rather than risk it again, you can take precautions.

Working with a team of professionals and utilising resilience software ensures that you have the help your organisation needs every step of the way. The next steps can make or break your business, depending on whether you’re prepared to handle the next outage or disruption to your standard operations. With the right software, your job can be easier, faster, and better overall.

The Importance Of Compliance

Compliance overall plays an important role in the success of a company or organisation, especially after disaster strikes. Following the ISO 27001 business continuity template allows you to customise your approach while remaining in compliance.

Without compliance, the consequences can result in costly fines or the failure of the company as a whole. Making sure your business is ready to face whatever comes next will keep it from sinking or buckling under the weight of strenuous events.

Final Thoughts

With over 21 years of experience, C2 stands as a testament to resilience and expertise in the data, server outage and business preparedness. In this fast-paced environment, our depth of knowledge and experience is invaluable to companies looking to safeguard operations. Preparing your company for data and server outages is a strategic decision, one that involves meticulous planning and execution.

The rewards of implementing a comprehensive continuity plan are immense, ensuring business stability and security in challenging times.

The wealth of experience that our BC experts – coupled with our industry-agnostic C2 Meridian BCMS – bring to the table is a significant asset for any organisation aiming to fortify itself against potential disruptions. Get in touch today.