A solid business continuity plan (BCP) is essential for every company, ensuring you can stay on track even during an unprecedented crisis. A BCP should address a variety of scenarios, from an office fire or a global pandemic to a cyberattack. Does your company include cybersecurity in its BCP? Let’s explore why it’s critical to do so and how to effectively incorporate it.
According to a 2020 Mercer survey, only 49% of companies globally had a BCP even though the number of ransomware attacks has been steadily growing, reaching 72.7% in 2023. And yet, even among companies that do have a BCP, many still fail to include cybersecurity in the plan. This oversight is puzzling, especially considering that most BCPs account for events like office fires, which are far less likely than a cyberattack. Learn why cybersecurity should be an integral part of your BCP.
Why include cybersecurity in your BCP?
Business continuity ensures that an organization can maintain essential functions during and after a crisis. Whether you’re facing a cyberattack, natural disaster, or hardware failure, the ability to keep operations running is critical for protecting revenue, reputation, and customer trust. Downtime is costly – in some industries, even a few minutes of disruption can lead to millions of dollars in losses. As the economy continues to grow and evolve, being prepared to avoid downtime is becoming increasingly essential.
Threats like ransomware attacks, social engineering incidents, or various data breaches can have devastating consequences, potentially crippling your business for an extended period of time. While tools like cyber insurance can help mitigate financial loss, they cannot restore your reputation or rebuild the trust your customers have in your business. Therefore, you should take all the precautions you can to avoid an attack.
When a cyberattack occurs, it’s easy to become overwhelmed and unsure of the next steps to take. That’s why it’s essential to prepare in advance and to make cyber resilience part of your BCP.
How should you incorporate cybersecurity into your business plan?
As with any potential threat, it's crucial to have a clear, step-by-step plan in place for handling a cyberattack. This ensures that when an attack occurs, everyone knows their role, and no time is wasted in confusion or disorganization. But what should these steps include? Here’s what you need to consider:
- Establish clear roles
- Divide responsibilities
- Standardize communication channels (and prepare alternative ones)
- Regularly back up your data
- Make sure there are no redundant systems and infrastructures
- Train your employees for a cyberattack event
- Invest in cybersecurity protection tools such as the ESET PROTECT platform
- Stay informed about the latest threats
- Test the whole process and update it regularly
At ESET, we are here to support you in taking essential steps toward cyber resilience, guided by our prevention-first approach. This principle is built on the idea that securing your first line of defense and shrinking the attack surface with a robust, single-pane-of-glass solution is the most effective way to achieve top-tier cybersecurity. Preventive measures not only cost significantly less than damage mitigation but also help avoid reputational harm and minimize downtime.
The ESET PROTECT platform safeguards your entire business through a single, unified platform. It covers your endpoints, servers, and cloud solutions. It is highly automated and AI-driven, so it actively detects new threats and takes proactive measures to strengthen your protection.
In the event of a successful cyberattack, the platform also offers features like forensics and incident response (available for specific tiers), helping you minimize downtime and keep your business running smoothly – even eliminating disruptions altogether wherever possible. Should you opt for ESET PROTECT MDR, you can rest even more easily, knowing that there is cybersecurity service combining AI and human expertise for you 24/7.
What are some key features of the ESET PROTECT platform that enhance your BCP?
- AI-native next-gen prevention
- Detection and proactive threat hunting
- Incident response and forensics
- Vulnerability & patch management
- MDR
As you can see, incorporating cybersecurity into your business continuity plan for the upcoming year is essential for successful growth. While an office fire is unlikely, facing cybersecurity threats is far more probable. Effectively deflecting these threats can save your organization valuable resources and ensure continued success.
