What a backup plan is
A business backup plan is a set of spare resources and arrangements prepared in advance (a second site, a backup supplier, data copies, stand-in staff) that are switched on when the main way of working fails. The backup plan is the practical part of the business continuity plan: it answers “what do we replace it with”, while the continuity plan answers “who acts and in what order”.
What to prepare in advance
- Data backups, including isolated (offline) copies in case of ransomware, with tested recovery.
- Backup suppliers for critical items (see “loss of a supplier”).
- Backup communication channels with customers and the team.
- Cross-training for critical skills (see “loss of a key employee”).
- A financial cushion for the period of downtime.
- Roles and contacts for an incident, available offline.
The backup plan is built into the business continuity plan (BCP) and tested in exercises. The plan structure and a ready docx template, where backups are recorded for each critical process, are covered on the business continuity plan page.
Weak links in a business and plan B
| Point of failure | Typical scenario | Plan B |
|---|---|---|
| A single supplier | Market exit, sanctions, supply disruption | A second qualified supplier (case review) |
| A key employee | Resignation, illness, unavailability | A stand-in and documented processes (how to protect yourself) |
| A single IT system | Failure, cyberattack, data loss | Backups, test restores, RTO |
| A single sales channel | Platform blocking, rule changes | A second channel, your own customer base |
| A shared AI service | Provider outage lasting several hours, usage limits | A fallback model, a local alternative, a human |
| A single office or site | Fire, power cut, unavailability | Remote work, backup site |
Frequently asked questions
A backup plan usually covers one resource or one process: what to do if this particular thing fails. A business continuity plan covers the whole company: which processes are critical, in what order to restore them, who makes decisions. Backup plans for individual resources go into it as appendices.
With five questions: where is the data and when was the last copy made; who will replace the only supplier; how to reach customers if the main channel is down; who will replace a key employee; how many weeks the money will last without revenue. The answers to these five questions are the first version of your backup plan.
How big should the financial cushion be?
A guide figure is the cost of several days of downtime of a key process plus a reserve for recovery. The exact amount is calculated from the BIA results.
Check your recovery numbers
The assessment shows where the recovery times the business needs do not match what the technology can deliver. After that, either your specialist calculates these numbers, or we do.
