One third of Irish organisations do not have a business continuity plan in place, new research from IDC has shown. Of the 33pc of Irish businesses that said they did not have this process in place, 43pc felt that this situation would not change in the foreseeable future.
According to Duncan Brown, director of IDC UK Consulting, there are several obstacles preventing many organisations from putting in place contingency procedures for keeping their business up and running.
“The main hurdles to implementing a business continuity solution are cost/budget constraints and management buy-in. In many organisations, business continuity is perceived as an IT issue only, which means it competes with other IT budget demands.”
Business continuity should not be seen as an IT issue only, Brown stressed. “It is imperative that IT managers work hard to create an understanding of the wider implications to senior management so that they understand that business continuity is vital to reduce their company’s exposure to risk.”
Many IT suppliers focus on business continuity as critical to positioning their own services and solutions, IDC said. However, the analyst firm said that the need for business continuity must be demonstrated to non-IT personnel and it must be shown to deliver a return on investment.
The findings are included in IDC’s study: Business Continuity and Storage Conference – Ireland, which reviews drivers and inhibitors in the business continuity market in addition to the technologies currently being used.
By Gordon Smith
