Can business impact analysis play a meaningful role in planning a cost-saving programme?

Trevor Wright, Emergency Planning Officer, North Yorkshire County Council

Abstract
Business continuity as it exists today would appear to have reached something of a plateau. Considering the history of the discipline, and how it has developed from ‘simple’ disaster recovery to its present position, it is clear that the trend has been to move from a reactive discipline to a proactive process. Following on from this broadly-accepted point, it is perhaps time to consider how the discipline may develop and what wider and deeper contribution the business continuity profession may make to add further value for our clients. In the present climate, it seems appropriate to consider how (and if) business continuity practice can make a meaningful contribution to a cost saving exercise. The public and private sectors are considered and the differences are compared.

Keywords
management, downsizing, financial management, public sector, statutory duties, commercial organisation, unity of purpose, scale of reference, mathematical model

Trevor Wright is a fellow of the BCI currently working as an emergency planner responsible for business continuity for North Yorkshire County Council. Prior to this, he was an independent business continuity consultant, and in this role carried out business continuity plans for a wide range of organisations from fire services to cellular phone companies. Before going independent, he managed BT’s ‘Commsure’ business continuity services. Trevor is an experienced technical manager with considerable experience of managing resilience and recovery in large commercial organisations.

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