By Dan Mallard, Director of Client Success

In today’s always-on business world, IT downtime isn’t just an inconvenience — it’s a direct threat to profitability, reputation, and long-term viability. That’s why business continuity planning (BCP) has evolved from a best practice into a critical business requirement.  

However, according to Nationwide’s latest risk management survey, 21% of businesses report they do not have a business continuity plan, leaving them vulnerable to operational disruptions. 

At the heart of any effective BCP strategy is a robust, responsive IT framework. This blog explores the difference between business continuity and IT disaster recovery, the key components of an effective recovery strategy, and the evolving role of IT leaders and managed service providers in ensuring organizational resilience. 

What Is Business Continuity Planning? 

Business continuity planning is about ensuring your organization can keep operating — and generating revenue — even when the unexpected happens. It’s a structured, organization-wide approach to sustaining business functions during outages or crises. 

While technology plays a significant role, true continuity planning goes beyond IT. It encompasses payroll, supply chains, customer service, and every other critical function that keeps a business running. Importantly, it’s not a one-time project. Effective BCP is a living program that evolves as the business grows and changes. In mature organizations, this involves cross-functional collaboration and regular evaluation by a dedicated committee. 

Business Continuity vs. IT Disaster Recovery 

Although the terms are often used interchangeably, business continuity and IT disaster recovery (DR) serve distinct — yet complementary — purposes: 

• Business Continuity refers to the overarching plan that keeps operations running during any disruption. 

• Disaster Recovery is a subset of that plan, focused specifically on restoring IT systems, infrastructure, and data after a disruption. 

For example, if a flood destroys a critical accounting-related application server, the DR plan would dictate how to restore it from a backup or cloud-based solution. Meanwhile, the business continuity plan would address broader questions like how to process invoices or make payroll while that system is offline. 

What Makes an Effective IT Disaster Recovery Procedure? 

A sound IT disaster recovery procedure should include: 

• Clear, documented recovery processes for each critical system. 

• Defined roles and responsibilities across departments. 

• Effective communication protocols for when systems are down. 

• Reliable backups and failover solutions. 

• Regular testing to validate the recovery process. 

Communication is one of the most frequently overlooked components. If email is down during a crisis, how will employees be notified? Do you have a phone tree, SMS service, or alternate platform in place? Planning for these scenarios is essential to ensure seamless communication under pressure. 

Key Metrics: RTO and RPO 

Two critical metrics drive the design of any disaster recovery strategy: 

• Recovery Time Objective (RTO): How quickly must a system or process be restored before it causes unacceptable disruption? 

• Recovery Point Objective (RPO): How much data loss is tolerable, measured in time? (e.g., 15 minutes of work vs. four hours) 

These metrics help align IT recovery goals with business risk tolerance and budget. Not every organization can afford a zero-data-loss solution — but understanding your thresholds allows you to design systems that match real-world needs. 

The Evolving Role of IT in Business Continuity 

IT departments and their partners are uniquely positioned to champion business continuity planning. Their role extends well beyond managing servers and systems — they must: 

1. Advocate for a Company-Wide BCP Approach 
   IT should work collaboratively with other departments to map system dependencies and ensure all critical business functions are supported during disruptions. 

2. Evaluate Risk and Expose Gaps 
   Identifying technology risks is essential. For example, if a critical system is still hosted on-premises, IT can recommend moving it to the cloud or building in redundancy to mitigate risk. 

3. Bring in External Expertise When Needed 
   Many internal teams lack the time or resources to build and maintain a comprehensive BCP. Outsourcing IT services with a managed service provider (MSP) like IronEdge Group can provide strategic leadership, run scenario-based tabletop exercises, and keep documentation current and actionable. 

Cloud Computing Has Transformed Continuity Planning 

Over the last decade, cloud adoption has dramatically reshaped how businesses approach BCP. Previously, a server failure might bring operations to a halt. Today, most core applications — from Office 365 to QuickBooks and CRMs — are cloud-based. 

This shift has reduced the impact of local hardware failure but introduced new challenges. For example, the biggest risk may now be internet connectivity or a vendor-side outage. If your team can’t reach its SaaS tools, business still stops. 

This reality means BCP must now consider scenarios like: 

• “What if Microsoft experiences a global outage?” 

• “What happens if our cloud provider suffers a breach?” 

Continuity planning must also account for evolving cybersecurity threats and user behavior that can compromise access or data integrity. 

How Managed IT Services Providers Strengthen Continuity 

For small to midsize businesses, developing a full-scale business continuity plan in-house can be daunting. That’s where a strategic MSP can make all the difference. 

IronEdge Group partners with internal IT teams to: 

• Lead business continuity assessments. 

• Facilitate RTO/RPO planning aligned with business operations. 

• Conduct tabletop exercises simulating real-world incidents. 

• Maintain up-to-date documentation. 

• Provide guidance as business and tech landscapes change. 

BCP, like cybersecurity, is never “set it and forget it.” It requires executive buy-in, regular reviews, and proactive updates — ideally on a quarterly basis. 

Getting Started: Small Steps, Big Impact 

If your organization hasn’t formalized a BCP yet, start small. Focus on one system — like accounting or customer service — and build a scenario around its failure. Identify what steps are needed to continue operating during an outage. Then repeat the process with another system next quarter. Over time, these efforts build into a comprehensive, resilient plan. 

Even in high-risk regions like hurricane-prone areas or tornado zones, we’ve seen businesses maintain weekly or monthly BCP meetings. In one case, a client had a mobile data center — a fully equipped semi-truck — ready to deploy in the event their facility was compromised. 

Final Thoughts: IT Is Central to Business Resilience 

Business continuity isn’t just an IT initiative — it’s a business imperative. But IT is at the core, providing the systems, safeguards, and strategic foresight that keep operations running during a crisis. 

If your organization needs guidance developing a resilient, actionable BCP, IronEdge Group is here to help. From initial assessments to ongoing management, we’re your partner in navigating uncertainty and coming out stronger on the other side. 

Further your education on business continuity planning by requesting our e-book “How to Build a Resilent Business Strategy.” 

Ready to build your business continuity strategy? 
Contact IronEdge Group to schedule a consultation.