Business continuity programs need to be agile in order to protect their organizations in today’s chaotic environment. Well-chosen BCM software can help a continuity program be more nimble and effective.
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Do you remember the scene in The Matrix where Keanu Reeves is able to avoid getting shot by bending over backwards so fast bullets fired at him pass harmlessly over his body?
That scene could serve as a visual definition of the word agility.
It is also a pretty good depiction of how business continuity management (BCM) programs need to be these days if they are to successfully protect their organizations from the unprecedented number of threats in the environment.
You know the type of thing I mean: economic uncertainty, supply chain woes, global conflict, extreme weather, pandemic, cyberattacks, and all the rest.
In this environment, agility is not a nice to have, it’s a must have. It’s a critical BCM performance attribute.
As business continuity professionals, when we confront facility damage or the loss of a critical vendor, we need to respond swiftly, evaluating the threat and moving to meet it with purpose and coordination.
Unfortunately, many companies’ BCM programs are anything but agile. Many I’m familiar with are downright sluggish.
It’s much better for a BCM program to be an agile Neo than a sitting duck, but developing agility is easier said than done.
The fact is, agility is hard. It’s not natural to respond to a chaotic situation with lightning reflexes and perfect footwork. What’s natural is to duck and cover and hope you don’t get hit.
Here are five challenges companies face in trying to make their BCM programs agile:
Developing agility is a challenge for any BCM program. Fortunately, there are tools available that can help.
There are no magic bullets that can help a BCM program instantly attain peak agility. But there are software solutions that can help move you closer to the ideal of a nimble, responsive program.
BCM software typically performs a number of functions that can make a program more agile. Here are five of the most important:
Buying BCM software won’t automatically make your program more agile. But purchasing and implementing appropriate BCM software can help your program develop competencies that are important building blocks of agility.
Organizations interested in obtaining BCM software to enhance the agility of their programs have many options to choose from. In choosing such software, the key question to ask is not, “Which tools are the best?” but “Which tools are the best for us, given our particular industry, mission, company culture, priorities, and resources?”
A common mistake is for organizations to purchase more tool than they need. I’ve seen it frequently: a company buys a very complicated (and expensive) tool with all the bells and whistles; the tool has an immense learning curve; no one ever learns it; and the product ends up being the digital equivalent of an expensive paperweight.
The BCMMETRICS software suite was designed by myself, based on my 25 years experience as a business continuity consultant helping organizations of all types and sizes become more resilient. Our clients have included small companies, midsize companies, and Fortune 100 firms as well as government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and educational institutions. They have been based all over the United States as well as overseas.
Prior to founding MHA, I was a regional VP for Bank of America, where I was responsible for business continuity across the southwest region.
I leveraged all of those experiences in developing the BCMMETRICS software suite.
Our BCMMETRICS suite is designed for users who want clean, simple, straightforward tools that are light, easy to learn, and provide active guidance and actionable feedback. They are agile tools designed for a time when agility is a key performance attribute.
Here’s a rundown of the tools in our suite, in the order you would be likely to use them:
Our tools are intuitive, secure, and get the job done. If that’s what you’re looking for in a business continuity management system, schedule a free demo of our software today. (We also offer eight hours of free consulting in the first year to help you get the most out of each tool.)
In today’s threatening world, a BCM program must be agile to be effective. Many programs lack that quality, and in fairness, agility is hard to achieve. One thing that can help is BCM software. Many good options are available. The most important thing is choosing a solution that fits the organization. Our BCMMETRICS suite is worthy of consideration by any organization that wants a lean, clean, intuitive solution that is easy to learn and gets the job done.
For more information on BCM software and other hot topics in BCM and IT/disaster recovery, check out these recent posts from BCMMETRICS and MHA Consulting: