| How prepared are UK businesses for disaster? As would be expected, the survey found that larger companies, with a turnover of over £20 million, are better prepared, with two thirds (66 percent) estimating they could resume operations within 24 hours. The retail industry in particular was highlighted as the least prepared to cope with disasters, with 64 percent of retailers taking more than 48 hours, and 28 percent requiring over a week, to get back up and running. A third (32 percent) of all companies surveyed said they if they were unable to access a primary facility they would react by giving staff the day off rather than transferring staff to an alternative facility or by encouraging staff to work from home. Over a quarter (26 percent) of senior managers told researchers they would attempt to rely on mobile phones to keep their business running. However, such a business continuity solution is likely to fail since networks often quickly become jammed in the event of a major disaster. Graham Bevington, UK managing director at Mitel, said: “The sheer number and variety of disasters that hit during 2005, from the London bombings to the explosion at Buncefield, sent a shock wave through UK businesses. Although business continuity has become a higher priority, it’s clear that the vast proportion of UK firms are ill-prepared to maintain operations if employees are unable to get to work. Ultimately, there is no point in having a business continuity plan on paper if it takes days to put into action. With the threat from disease and terrorism ever prevalent, it is important to understand that relying on mobile phones is not enough to safeguard the business.” The survey was undertaken by Continental Research on behalf of Mitel Networks.
•Date: 20th June 2006• Region: UK • Type: Article •Topic: BC statistics |
