Business agility in maintaining resilience

In today's rapidly changing business landscape, the need for adaptability and resilience has never been greater. This is particularly true in the context of business continuity planning (BCP), a crucial aspect for organisations navigating internal change and unpredictable external events.

A common phrase that encapsulates this sentiment is: "Any plan only survives its first contact with adversity; beyond that first contact, the power is less in the plan and more in the flexibility of its execution." This wisdom underscores the importance of agility in BCP, a principle that is increasingly being adopted by businesses worldwide.

One company at the forefront of this shift is Becrypt, a provider of products and services that help organisations maintain productivity and increase business resilience. Their solutions are relied upon by organisations, large and small, across various sectors, including government agencies, defence, and critical infrastructure. In the UK, these organisations use Becrypt's agile approach to manage business continuity planning effectively, ensuring secure and centralized management of workplaces during unexpected relocations or work bans.

The Agile Business Continuity planning process reflects a dynamic environment, emphasizing change, collaboration, conversation, value delivery at a sustainable pace, and simple solutions. This approach is particularly beneficial in a world where the frequency of disruptive incidents is on the rise.

Effective BCP can deliver rapid business responsiveness, often leveraging cloud-based tools. Today's maturity of cloud security and cloud automation has simplified the process of adopting new end-user services that are secure, resilient, and can be deployed at pace. This is a significant advantage for organisations that need to scale secure remote working solutions rapidly.

Becrypt is helping Agile organisations achieve this, providing cloud-hosted management solutions that can reduce both initial and ongoing costs. These secure remote working infrastructures can be deployed in just days, removing the ongoing IT resource overhead.

The benefits of Agile BCP extend beyond crisis management. Organisations without a BCP should create one, while those with an existing plan should review it regularly. Business resilience should be an integral part of organisational culture and governance, not rushed into due to an impending disaster.

Moreover, the increased business focus on resilience during potential disasters presents an opportunity that should not be missed. By adopting Agile methodologies, organisations can not only improve their response to crises but also enhance their overall operational efficiency.

Finally, cloud computing supports mobile, distributed teams, paying dividends in the instance of remote working becoming a necessity. Cloud computing has transformed the way we work, increasing the opportunity to adopt technology designed specifically for cloud services to complement business continuity. Around 78% of businesses are benefiting from applying Agile methodologies outside the traditional software development environment, demonstrating the widespread adoption of this approach.

In conclusion, embracing Agile Business Continuity Planning is essential for organisations seeking to thrive in today's unpredictable world. By focusing on flexibility, collaboration, and the delivery of value, businesses can build resilience, improve their response to crises, and enhance their overall operational efficiency.