Business Continuity As A Service: good idea or not?

What is Business Continuity As A Service? How do we define BCAAS? As a consultant, you first measure the state of the existing BCM. If necessary, you set up a BCM process lifecycle through a project. In doing so, you follow a standard or good practice guideline. You get this audited regularly and keep it alive. You provide the right tools where useful and necessary, communicate the results and add the process to the client’s programs. In the process, the consultant acquires considerable experience in the doings of the organization.

In this contribution, I express my own opinion, not that of any organization

The question: “Business Continuity As A Service: good idea or not?”

“Focus on core tasks and processes, and outsource the rest” is an oft-heard mantra. Then consultants are quick to come up with BCAAS. But is that or is it not a core function? If it doesn’t work, you’re still liable yourself. And if there is a crisis, your own people know the business better. What they do themselves then, they do better.

How is it put together?

You can approach it according to the golden rule as described in the box above. This is not really original. It is at the helicopter level a description of BCM as any organization can implement it itself. In that way, business continuity as a service seems like a good idea. Or is it? Because that doesn’t give you the skills.

So what are the benefits of outsourcing business continuity as a service?

• It’s faster because the consultant has experience. Even though he costs more per hour than an in-house employee, that makes it seem competitive in terms of cost versus training an employee.
• You bring in experiences from elsewhere. So you always have a professional at your disposal, if properly negotiated this is 24/7.
• Normally the consultant has experience with the tools he recommends.

What are the concerns of business continuity as a service?

• The consultant never knows your organization the way your own employees do.
• In practice, in crisis, it will be your employees who will have to make the difference.
• The consultant often does not work for just you but also for others.
• The consultant can make proposals, but should not actually decide anything in crisis.
• If the consultant causes a problem, the accountability will always still come to the organization.

Previous contributions on outsourcing can be read here:

You are going to outsource: what are risk concerns?

Outsourcing processes or services or not – strategic risks