We are in an unprecedented moment.
The COVID-19 pandemic has upended businesses in nearly every industry. Across the globe, companies are quickly shifting operations and forcing employees to work from their homes. Non-essential businesses have been ordered to close altogether as countries across the region are shutting down. Cuts, layoffs and closures are now all on the table.
But if there is one piece of advice we have for businesses that are
scrambling for solutions, it is this:
Now is the time to harden your business continuity systems,
not loosen them.
Let’s start with the simple truth that the risk of a pandemic is constant. The threat was always there. While businesses scramble to rework their business continuity planning for the coronavirus, COVID-19 is exposing weaknesses in many organization’s overall preparedness.
To be fair, nobody knew this was coming at the time and speed that it did. But anticipating potential threats is what business continuity is all about. The underlying disruptions caused by COVID-19 were always risks to prepare for: workforce interruptions, sudden revenue losses, supply-chain disruptions, office inaccessibility, government mandates and so on.
Thankfully, many businesses are adapting quickly to weather the storm. But the storm is not close to being over yet. There are endless additional risks and unknowns that businesses need to be preparing for right now. News flash – the hurricane season is around the corner, have you considered the implications of such in the midst of this crisis?