As with any new technology implementation, it is important to involve business stakeholders from the start of the BC/DR planning process, to understand their business priorities and help them understand the full repercussions of downtime. Fortunately, a BIA makes this easy; the analysis provides tangible, clear figures on what an outage or disruption may cost in lost revenue, productivity, equipment and so on. This information is invaluable in selling non-IT management on a new or increased investment in business continuity and disaster recovery measures.

You have read it in other "" articles on various topics, but it is worth mentioning again – SMBs typically cite purchase and transition costs as the main deterrent to adopting or adding a new technology, and this still rings true when it comes to developing and implementing BC/DR plans. There are always other clear, short-term needs to compete for the time and budget a BC/DR plan may claim. This is where the BIA's key findings can back up the requests for new technologies and help businesses see the big picture. It is important for business leaders to understand the true costs of poor planning or no planning.

SMBs should considering the following questions:? What do we need and why do we need it? Through a third-party BIA from a trusted, vendor-neutral technology partner, SMBs can help management pinpoint the holes they need to fill and locate the vulnerabilities they need to reinforce. The question, "Why now?" will inevitably come, and the BIA will provide answers and hard numbers that demonstrate necessity? What are the consequences/costs? It all comes back to the bottom line. Like all other organizations, SMBs are interested in avoiding revenue loss and reducing the time required to recover from an IT interruption. Through the BIA, the business case for upgrades or additions to the BC/DR plan can be explained and justified in dollars and cents

The business impact analysis identified needs. Management is on board with a new and/or improved BC/DR plan and you are ready to go. But, what now? The steps for implementation and the chosen solutions should fit your unique situation. Fortunately, there are many good options to consider that will help get you where you need to go: