Continuity and Corona

Coronavirus outbreak is bringing attention towards the preparedness of potential impact across businesses.

The growing numbers of impacted countries, economies and individuals are getting the attention of business

leaders to ensure the preparedness within the respective business. From the risks of an interruption in daily

operations to the availability of critical human resources and suppliers, is becoming concerns for the most.

The variable surrounding of corona epidemic is challenging the boundaries of business having business

continuity programs with or without pandemic planning in place.

The Potential Impacts:

• Short of workers: The potential risk of short of workers may impact managing the business
commitment in terms of customer services and production.
• Leadership / Key Skillset: The potential signatories to approve the business mobilizations, signing
payments and other transaction instruments, giving periodic strategic direction to the business.
• Supply Chain: Cross border suppliers, especially for single-source items, from raw material to spare
parts
• Work from home: Cybersecurity and technology control weaknesses which may be may be exploited
by various threat actors while allowing the staff to work from home scenarios.
• The potential carrier: Employees traveling or returning from affected areas may carry the virus and
unknowingly become the transporter.
• Awareness: Epidemics are known for rising depression and anxiety amongst the human. That may
impact into panic and convert the businesses on the lowest priority by the people, if not taken
seriously, through constant communication.
Recommended Actions:
The below mentioned recommendations can be taken into consideration to mitigate the risk of interruption
to an acceptable level, weather formal Business Continuity Management programs, is in place or not. The key
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recommendations are as follows: 1
Recommended Actions:
The below-mentioned recommendations can be taken into consideration to mitigate the risk of interruption
to an acceptable level, whether the formal Business Continuity Management program is in place or not. The
key recommendations are as follows:

• From the Business Impact Analysis report, Identify the critical human resources of the organization. In
case of not having formal BIA in place, it is a straightforward process to identify the critical human
resources while conducting a close loop workshop with all department heads to identify the critical
human resources of the organization.
• Establish the workaround of critical human resources by documenting their activities that may include
the step by step process of the critical activities they perform, including passwords of multiple
applications, and they use to perform their activities in a sealed envelope.
• Identify the signatories and appoint secondary signatories while informing the financial service
provider to accept the alternative signatories in case of absentees.
• Conduct assessment on modes of connectivity from outside offices. Enhance external connectivity
controls to avoid any external attack or unsolicited intrusion to the network.
• Identify local and cross border single-source suppliers for office stationery, spare parts and raw
material, inline to the minimum inventory requirement. Order additional quantities if possible, to
avoid shortages that may lead to interruption of the process.
• Employees traveling from the affected area should be identified and verified initial trough assessment
or being allowed to work from home for 14 days to avoid becoming the source of further exposure.
• Constant communication/awareness for preventive measures, along with the recovery position or real
discoveries, may lead the eliminate panic and provide the opportunity to defeat the situation.

Conclusion:
Whether a formal BCM program in place or not, the above recommendation will lead to a mitigation
strategy, ensuring lesser possibilities of interruptions.

International Standard Organization ISO 22301 specifies requirements to plan, establish, implement,
operate, monitor, review, maintain and continually improve a documented management system to protect
against, reduce the likelihood of occurrence, prepare for, respond to, and recover from disruptive incidents
when they arise.

The Business Continuity Institute’s Good Practice Guidelines has become the leading global guidance for
business continuity professionals since it was first issued in 2001. The GPG describes not just what
practitioners should do but provides information about why and how to do it. Source: www.thebci.org

The writer is Business Continuity Expert at ECOVIS AL SABTI – Saudi Arabia and can be reached at
m.ghazali@eovisalsabti.com
Muhammad Ghazali
Senior Executive Director (MBCI - CRISC)

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