With the end of the year rapidly approaching, it’s almost time to make our New Year’s resolutions again. It’s therefore an ideal time to review our business in terms of its strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats, and to revise existing (or implement new) business continuity strategies and plans accordingly.

Try taking time to ask yourself :

• What are the critical success factors of the business?

• What are the key processes that underpin those critical success factors?

• What are the business impacts of being unable to perform those processes, and what are the main threats to them?

• What risk mitigation and contingency measures are currently in place, do they still provide the protection that they were intended to provide, and what gaps are there?

• What additional measures have I been considering but not yet implemented?

• What are my priorities for action?

Taking time out to reflect on questions such as these can be very helpful in focussing our minds and setting objectives for the coming year. So why not make it a New Year’s resolution to do all you can to ensure the continuity of your business.

Merry Christmas and a prosperous and peaceful New Year.