Depending on who you believe, either the green shoots of recovery are starting to appear or the chill wind of recession will continue to blow for some considerable time.

Either way, we’re not out of it yet and many organisations are still in “belt-tightening” mode, which means that many of us, business continuity managers included, are being asked to do more for less. And the focus on day-to-day survival means there’s a danger that some organisations might take their eye off the business continuity ball or consider it to be a luxury that they can afford to live without.

Business continuity management may be seen by some as an easy target for cost savings in a recession. But whilst it might be tempting to cut costs in this area, the implications and the associated risks need to be carefully considered and understood by those making the decisions.

The impact of a disruption (e.g. on customer service, reputation or cash flow) in an already difficult economic climate, in which customers may be looking more closely than ever at your ability to deliver, and the resources to “buy” your way out of trouble aren’t as readily available as perhaps they once were, may be more significant than during those fondly remembered boom times.

So business continuity practitioners might have a bit of a fight on their hands. But it’s important that we do fight our corner as in some cases a good business continuity plan, and more importantly a business continuity capability, just might be the thing that keeps some businesses in business.