How is the business problem defined? By obtaining an in depth understanding of the problem at hand, then the chances of finding an appropriate solution are greatly increased. There are a number of tools and techniques to clearly define business requirements and target processes. One established approach is to simply define What (needs to be done), Who (does it), When (do they do it), Which (information is acted on) and Where (is it done) for each activity within the process.



Within the context of information assurance, disaster recovery and business continuity, then this approach can clearly and graphically communicate responsibilities and processes around areas such as effective disposal of secure information, risk & vulnerability, internet security, content monitoring, encryption, single sign on, access control, data backup and retrieval.

How is appropriate expertise, vendor technology sourced to solve the business problem? When a clear understanding of the business problem is defined, then this can be used to provide a filter through the vast quantity and complexity of the technology and vendor marketplace. Knowledge bases, analyst reports, vendor accreditations, case studies and other sources can be reviewed to shortlist the vendors appropriate for your business problem. This approach results in the solution being business problem led, rather than feature / technology led.

How is a low risk, cost effective solution implemented? The existence of a clear business requirement will enable clients to buy a solution based on real business need, rather that feature. Expensive solutions with irrelevant features can be rejected in favour of appropriate, lower cost solutions.

Proven change management and phased project approaches can be adopted to avoid common reasons for IT project failure such as lack of technical knowledge, poor communication, planning and vendor management.

What types of technology and solutions should be considered? The solution, of course, needs to meet the detailed requirements and budget constraints. There are many vendors within the marketplace – some of these are innovative and occasionally at substantially less cost than traditional solutions.

In May 2008, for example, the Business Continuity and Resiliency Services business unit at a global manufacturer announced its first foray into the on-demand data-protection market with the introduction of new Information Protection Services offerings based on Software as a Service (SaaS) technologies.

Another example includes a UK manufacturer with exclusive rights across Europe for an established, low cost, easy installation ‘black box' disaster recovery system, as used by NASA, US Postal Service, British Telecom, the NHS and many others.

This product suite is comprised of a series of integrated hardware & software appliances and offers everything from single e-mail recovery in Exchange, through to support and full recovery for Windows, Linux, Solaris and a further 20+ Operating Systems. The solution completely restores Servers (including VMware environments), Laptops or PC's from the local and / or remote ‘black box', and in a matter of only minutes.

How can we help? For help with defining your business problem (business resilience or otherwise), sourcing appropriate vendors, and implementing low risk, cost effective solutions, then contact MaxTunity without obligation.