Business Continuity Awareness Week 2021: Insights From the Experts

The editors at Solutions Review celebrate Business Continuity Awareness Week 2021 with insights from the experts: Aiven’s James Arlen and AHEAD’s Greg Stam.

As part of Solutions Review’s celebration of Business Continuity Awareness Week 2021, we called on two experts to share their tips, tricks, and business continuity best practices for 2021. We spoke with James Arlen, CISO at Aiven, and Greg Stam, the Managing Director of CIO Advisory at AHEAD in honor of the week-long event. With their experience in the field of business continuity, Arlen and Stam were able to provide in-depth insight into what disasters companies should be prepared for and what your business continuity plan should include.

Read below for Arlen and Stam’s business continuity best practices in both written and video format.

James Arlen, CISO at Aiven:

“It’s safe to say recent data disasters have gained the attention of business leaders from an immediate risk perspective. They are quick to look at how their business has been or will be impacted, but neglect any future planning to prevent damage. Many of these leaders don’t understand what it takes to ensure their organization is prepared for a disastrous data event that might surface years from now. 2020 was the year of ‘unprecedented’ but the key to business continuity is to have a plan in place so an unexpected event doesn’t fully upend business processes. Data is just becoming a more and more valuable asset across industries, so business leaders must consider it as such when forming a business continuity strategy. 

Business Continuity Awareness Week is a good time for these leaders – C-suite, IT and Security alike – to reflect on recent events like the SolarWinds or Colonial Pipeline attacks, and understand that a data recovery plan is pivotal to mitigate similar problems and maintain business continuity. It doesn’t matter if the problem is a small inconvenience or a business-altering circumstance – designing data architecture in a way that protects data in every disastrous event is the best way to ensure it is safe at all times.”

Greg Stam, Managing Director – CIO Advisory at AHEAD:

“Technology can either make or break an organization. From a business continuity perspective, this means that during an unexpected challenge, technology can either act as the glue that holds processes together, or it can amplify a major disaster. Even worse, the wrong technology is capable of creating a business disaster on its own. 

This is why it’s so important for organizations to take a close look at their technology ecosystem and seek the right guidance to ensure it includes tools and resources that are aligned with business continuity priorities. Business continuity plans should also consider every facet of the organization – reaching far beyond IT or security departments – to ensure everything is covered in the event something goes awry.”

Keeping your corporate data safe is a necessity in order to stay afloat. The reality that a disaster could occur cannot be ignored. Therefore, you must keep your organization safe by preparing for any potential damage. This year, for Business Continuity Awareness Week 2021, revisit your business continuity best practices to make sure they’re up to date and in working order.

Looking to learn more about business continuity solutions? Consider downloading our free Backup and Disaster Recovery Buyer’s Guide, DRaaS Buyer’s Guide, Data Protection Buyer’s Guide, or our Data Protection Vendor Map for information on the top platforms on the market.