When discussing business disruption among MSPs, business impact analysis (BIA) doesn’t receive enough attention. By focusing on BIA, MSPs can better prepare for and mitigate the effects of potential disruptions.
BIA is a process that helps organizations predict and prepare for the potential consequences of a business disruption. The goal of the BIA is to ensure operational resilience and continuity during and after a disruption. At its core, it’s a way for you and your team to understand how each customer views the relative importance of assets such as apps, data, and resources. I consider it a first step.
You can’t have a disaster (DR) recovery plan without a BIA. I spoke to a friend who’s in the incident response (IR) world, and he said that in most cases, when they get involved (and it’s always “Right of Boom”), the company and the IT team or MSP are trying to figure things out in real-time, and every function thinks their asset should be prioritized.
I often discuss helping customers with software utilization, but I think BIAs are the first step. Our customers’ technical landscape is changing, and we have to change with it. Having a deeper understanding of their assets, business priorities, and the outcomes they expect is more critical than ever.
Take a look at your customer base. How many of them do you have a regular BIA process for? If it’s not part of your process, you will not have a usable disaster recovery plan and will be unable to manage your customers’ expectations.
But most importantly, you’re not a strategic resource for your customers the way you could or should be, and that’s the most significant risk an MSP can have today.