A lot of terms get thrown around these days; so much so that it’s hard to keep track of what means what in the world of business. One term in particular that’s worth knowing is business continuity. On paper it sounds simple – the ability for a business to continue through difficult times. There is, however, more than meets the eye when it comes to this term.
With the economy as volatile as it currently is worldwide due to the aftermath of the pandemic, and a war raging on in Ukraine, it might feel as though business continuity is further away than ever for the modern business. In this context, however, business continuity also refers to continuing in a more practical sense.
But what does all of this mean exactly, and how can your business maximise its continuity with the help of tech in the face of volatility? It’s a tough ask in such unprecedented times, but we still have a lot of power in our hands.
What is business continuity?
Business continuity is defined as a business’ level of readiness to maintain critical functions after an emergency or disruption. This could be a cyber-attack, a power outage, a natural disaster, or anything in between that causes widespread disruption.
This could also be something as simple as losing a key employee – anything has the potential to cause disruption to your business, but preparedness is the key. With the right tools to hand, you can navigate even the choppiest of seas.
A communications plan is one of the ‘critical aspects of an effective business continuity strategy’. Without the right tools in the event of an emergency, you’re already in a highly perilous situation. Of course we live in hope of not needing to make use of the emergency procedures, but the fact they are there in times of difficulty should be a comfort.
So what are these tools?
Given the pitfalls of PSTN as a means of communication in terms of the network’s fallibility to power outages and natural disasters, VoIP or SIP technology is an excellent way in which to maximise business continuity. Something like a SIP trunk can provide a great way in which to do this.
SIP trunking stands for Session Initiation Protocol, and is defined as a service that uses this protocol to provision voice over IP connectivity between the phone system on premises and the PSTN. This means the system can be used over existing Ethernet network infrastructure, reducing longer term costs.
In layman’s terms, this refers to virtual phone lines that can be used to make calls over the internet to anyone with a phone number, meaning that communication need never be an issue if an emergency strikes.
Deciding what is best for your business is also a difficult decision to make, but the requisite help is out there. With the infrastructure of telecommunications set to change massively in the coming years due to the upcoming big switch off of 2025, getting ahead of the curve now could be your best bet in ensuring and maintaining business continuity for your business.