Pandemic planning is important to business continuity : but the majority of plans don’t yet take it into consideration

Continuity Central is currently conducting a short survey that aims to discover how seriously business continuity managers are taking the issue of pandemic planning and what measures are being included in business continuity plans.

The interim results of the survey show that the vast majority of business continuity professionals (82 percent) believe that it is important to build pandemic scenarios into business continuity plans. However, the survey also shows that only 28 percent of plans actually include specific measures for pandemic response. This is a worrying discrepancy given the scale of the risk and the increasing signs that an influenza pandemic might be just around the corner. Encouragingly, 53 percent of respondents state that their business continuity plans will include pandemic scenarios ‘in the near future’. Let’s hope that time does not run out for these organisations.

The response to the survey has been high, with the results so far running as follows:

It is important that pandemic impacts are covered by business continuity plans...

Yes: 82 percent
No: 7 percent
Not sure: 11 percent

My organisation's business continuity plans include preparations for pandemic impacts

Yes - we have already considered this issue : 28 percent
Not yet - but it will be included in the near future : 53 percent
No and there are no plans to include pandemic impacts in the future : 19 percent

Take part

•Date: 11th October 2005 • Region: World • Type: Article •Topic: BC general
Rate this article or make a comment - click here