FEATURE : BUSINESS CONTINUITY
rewards ,” he said . “ The Orange Cyberdefence analysis also highlighted the new opportunities opening up to companies and the Business Continuity challenges they will have to meet , as ‘ multi-cloud ’ environments emerge .”
Business Continuity guidelines
With CIOs in the Middle East looking to improve their Business Continuity policies given the rapid change in IT , many are grappling with how to develop robust guideline .
Abboud Ghanem , Vice President , Middle East and Africa , Alteryx , said with disruptive events occurring more frequently , making operationally critical decisions using legacy tools like spreadsheets or leaning on gut feelings , is no longer an option . Ghanem added that recent events such as the pandemic and the Suez Canal blockage have exposed the weak links in current continuity plans , highlighting how crucial analysing and planning for these potential risks is in order to ensure continuity . “ When risk to the bottom line of your business can come from anywhere , the ability to leverage predictive data to predict , plan for and mitigate risk across the business is key to reducing the impact of them ,” he said . “ The vast majority of companies are likely to say that they are very well prepared , or at least , they are working very hard to mitigate risk . Planning around an expected crisis , however , is a far easier proposition than readying a business for the unknown .”
Mentz explained that in today ’ s environment , increased bandwidth and remote working capabilities have become key elements of a Business Continuity policy .
These are driven by a foundation built on high-speed connectivity . “ With remote working increasingly becoming a more accepted norm , organisations must ensure that they are cognisant of the kind of access available to home-based employees ,” she said .
Stephen Gill , Academic Head , School of Mathematical and Computer Sciences , Heriot-Watt University Dubai , said if an organisation is yet to have a Business Continuity plan in place , CIOs should begin with a business impact analysis . Gill said this includes evaluating critical business areas and functions , identifying areas of vulnerabilities and contemplating potential losses if key business processes go down for a day or longer .
“ CIOs should customise their Business Continuity plan based on the size , nature and complexity of their business processes . By effectively structuring your plan , setting goals and objectives , determining roles and responses , communicating constantly and continually adapting and evolving your plan over time , you can build a Business Continuity plan that is ready for possible future disruptions ,” he explained .
Cybersecurity
According to Gill , as many organisations continue to operate with a dispersed workforce , lack of
Sahem Azzam , VP Middle East and Africa , Orange Business Services
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