Cloud-Specific BCP Considerations
Multi-region architecture
Deploy critical workloads across multiple cloud regions to survive regional outages. Active-active deployment serves traffic from multiple regions simultaneously. Active-passive maintains a standby region that activates during primary region failure. The choice depends on RTO requirements and cost tolerance.
Multi-cloud strategy
For maximum resilience, critical workloads can be deployed across multiple cloud providers. This protects against provider-level outages but adds significant operational complexity. Most organisations achieve sufficient resilience through multi-region deployment within a single provider.
Vendor dependency management
Identify all cloud service dependencies and assess the impact of each service becoming unavailable. For critical services, identify alternatives or workarounds. Document these in your BCP runbooks so the team knows exactly what to do when a specific service fails.
BCP Documentation Requirements
- Business impact analysis: Documented critical processes with RPO/RTO requirements
- Recovery strategies: Technical and operational recovery procedures for each critical process
- Communication plan: Who to notify, how, and when — covering employees, customers, regulators, and media
- Roles and responsibilities: Named individuals with specific BCP responsibilities and deputies
- Testing schedule: Regular BCP exercises with documented results and improvement actions
- Maintenance plan: How and when the BCP is reviewed and updated
How Opsio Delivers Business Continuity
- Business impact analysis: We conduct BIA workshops with your business and IT stakeholders to identify critical processes and define recovery requirements.
- Cloud resilience architecture: We design multi-AZ and multi-region architectures that match your RTO/RPO requirements.
- BCP documentation: We develop comprehensive BCP documentation that satisfies NIS2, ISO 27001, and SOC 2 requirements.
- Testing and exercises: We facilitate tabletop exercises and technical DR drills quarterly.
- 24/7 incident management: Our operations team provides first-response capability during business continuity events.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does NIS2 require business continuity planning?
Yes. NIS2 Article 21(2)(c) requires business continuity and crisis management measures including backup management, disaster recovery, and crisis management procedures.
How often should BCP be tested?
Tabletop exercises should occur semi-annually. Technical DR tests quarterly. Full BCP exercises annually. The BCP should be reviewed and updated after any major change to business processes, IT systems, or organisational structure.
What is the difference between BCP and DRP?
A Disaster Recovery Plan (DRP) focuses on restoring IT systems after a disruption. A Business Continuity Plan (BCP) is broader — it covers maintaining all critical business operations, including alternative processes, communication, and stakeholder management. DRP is a component of BCP.
