CU*Answers announced that its Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery consultation services has been fast growing and quickly adding new clients. Jim Lawrence, CU*Answers Manager of Business Continuity and Recovery Services described how in a constantly changing and increasingly complex IT environment, unplanned disruptions can be extremely costly to the business, resulting in financial losses, member dissatisfaction and regulatory compliance issues. An outdated recovery plan in the hands of untrained personnel puts an organization at risk.

The services provided by his team focus on three key areas: planning and consulting; design and development; and implementation and coordination.

Developing and implementing a comprehensive Business Continuity Program (BCP) that results in a repeatable process focused on continual improvement is the new standard. Resilience starts when business continuity stops being a series of separate activities, is embraced as a business process, and becomes part of day-to-day decision-making and operations. Whether through CU*Answers or some other partner, business continuity and disaster recovery services can assist any credit union design and implement a program with cost-effective strategies and test-validated processes to mitigate risk, elevate preparedness levels, and restore critical business functions as quickly as possible in the event of a service disruption or disaster.