Ireland leads neighbors in business continuity planning
Much remains to be done, but the Emerald Isle is far ahead of France, Germany, and Italy; half of Irish firms have no plans in place, compared to 75 percent elsewhere
The Irish no longer worry about a Viking invasion, but terrorism remains a very real threat, and as the economy continues to outpace its European rivals, the country’s economic vulnerablity to attack is becoming ever more evident. Business continuity planning is the obvious response, but a new Citrix survey suggests that many Irish firms are woefully underprepared. Approximately half lack the neccesary technology to continue operating after an attack, despite the fact that seventy percent of companies believed that the failure to procure such technology could result in catastrophe.
Nevertheless, Ireland leads its European neighbors in continuity planning. Only 21 percent of French companies, and 25 percent of Italian companies, have developed adequate procedures and systems, compared to Ireland’s 50 percent, and Irish companies are far more likely to have hired a middle manager responsible for continuity planning. “Encouragingly, these findings suggest that business continuity plans are higher up the value chain in Ireland than in Europe,” said Richard Jackson, Citrix managing director for Britain, Ireland, and South Africa. Jackson continued:
“However Irish companies need not be complacent with this fact. Business continuity plans are a crucial part of today’s business structure and Irish companies need to be aware of the huge revenue loss and the effect on day-to-day operations that they will face if their staff are unable to work simply because they can’t reach the office.”
-read more in Maxim Kelly’s ENN report
