When most leaders think about cybersecurity, they focus on stopping attacks—firewalls, antivirus, MFA, employee training. And while prevention is critical, it’s only part of the equation.
What happens when the attack gets through?
That’s where your business continuity plan (BCP) comes in. And if it’s sitting on a shelf—or missing entirely—you’re leaving your organization vulnerable to far more than just downtime. You’re exposed to revenue loss, legal risk, reputational damage, and even regulatory penalties.
Here’s why your BCP must be part of your cyber risk strategy, and what smart businesses are doing to make sure they’re ready for more than just prevention.
Cybersecurity used to be about building walls. But today’s reality is clear:
No wall is perfect.
Even the best-protected companies experience breaches, ransomware incidents, and service disruptions. That’s why insurers, regulators, and boards are no longer just asking, “Can you prevent it?”
They’re asking:
“Can you keep operating—and recover quickly—when it happens?”
This is where cybersecurity meets business continuity.
Let’s clarify the roles:
Incident Response Plan (IRP):
Focuses on identifying, containing, and investigating a cybersecurity incident.
Business Continuity Plan (BCP):
Ensures critical business operations (e.g., payroll, customer support, manufacturing) continue during and after a disruptive event.
Your IRP might stop the spread of ransomware.
Your BCP ensures you can still ship products, pay staff, and communicate with clients while recovery happens.
Both are essential—and they must work together.
Cyber incidents can:
Lock you out of systems (ransomware)
Corrupt data or backups
Shut down cloud applications or on-prem infrastructure
Disable communications (email, VoIP, messaging platforms)
Trigger compliance or reporting obligations under pressure
Without a continuity plan, businesses often:
Panic
Communicate poorly
Lose revenue and customer trust
Make costly, avoidable mistakes
To align business continuity with cyber risk, your plan should account for:
Include response procedures for ransomware, cloud outages, and third-party breaches—not just floods and fires.
Identify what needs to come back online first—finance systems? CRM? Payroll?
Who handles external communication? Who manages backups? Who coordinates with legal, insurers, and regulators?
If email is down, how will teams talk? (Hint: include backup systems, phone trees, or secure messaging apps.)
It’s not enough to say you have backups. Include:
Where they are stored
How they are tested
Who can access them during a crisis
A plan is only useful if it’s tested regularly. Cyber-focused BCP drills are now expected by insurers and regulators.
A tested, up-to-date BCP can:
Reduce the financial impact of an attack
Improve your cyber insurance application or renewal terms
Demonstrate operational maturity to regulators and customers
Protect executive leadership from liability due to “lack of preparedness”
It’s not just good business practice—it’s a defensive asset.
At Bawn, we help businesses align cybersecurity and business continuity so they’re prepared for what matters most:
Keeping the business running
Meeting insurance and regulatory expectations
Protecting brand and client trust
We build plans that are clear, tested, and integrated into your larger cyber strategy—not just a dusty binder on a shelf.
→ Want to know if your business continuity plan is cyber-ready? Let’s review it together. Book a complimentary BCP & Cyber Risk Readiness Check.