The number of data breach notifications in Australia reached its highest level in four years, according to the OAIC’s January to June 2024 report. 527 data breaches were reported, with malicious and criminal attacks accounting for 67% of breach notifications.
In the face of more frequent and sophisticated cyberattacks, businesses across every industry are grappling with how to achieve IT service continuity management. Reactive security measures are no longer enough and the consequences of poor planning for a potential breach are severe – lengthy downtime, data loss and reputational damage, to name a few.
This reality is reshaping how businesses think about their IT service continuity management strategies. It’s no longer just about securing networks and infrastructure—it’s about ensuring that, even in the event of a breach, a business can quickly recover and keep all critical operations running smoothly. This involves a combination of strategies, from disaster recovery planning to ensuring redundant systems are in place and implementing the right set of tools.
Key aspects of IT service continuity management
Disaster recovery planning
An essential part of IT service continuity management is having a comprehensive disaster recovery plan. This plan outlines how your organisation will respond to various disruptions, such as a natural disaster, hardware failure, or cyberattack. A strong plan prioritises recovering systems and data which are essential for operations, ensuring that the most crucial functions can resume quickly. As a part of this, it should define clear Recovery Time Objectives (RTOs), which outline the maximum acceptable downtime for each system, and Recovery Point Objectives (RPOs), which specify the maximum acceptable data loss. By establishing these metrics, you can allocate resources quickly and effectively during a crisis and set realistic expectations with your stakeholders.
Implement redundant systems and backups
Ensuring that your critical systems have redundancies built in through cloud-based solutions or secondary data centres will allow operations to continue if your primary systems fail. A good document management system will minimise the risk of critical data being lost or compromised in a breach through security measures such as data encryption and access controls.
Backups are also vital to recovery as they give you the power to restore lost or corrupted data, reducing your downtime and financial loss. Choosing a document management system that automatically backs up your data at regular intervals can be the key to resuming operations quickly, particularly in industries like healthcare, legal and finance.
Employee training and incident response
Human error remains a significant cause of data breaches, accounting for 30% of incidents between January to June 2024. Whether through misdirected emails, weak passwords, or disclosing sensitive data, there are numerous ways that employees can unintentionally put business data at risk, even with the best technology in place.
While training on cybersecurity best practices is a good place to start, your IT continuity management plan should also include training on incident response protocols to ensure your team knows what to do when a breach or failure occurs. Well-practised procedures help to minimise downtime and avoid panic during a real attack or system outage.
Consistent monitoring
As cybersecurity regulations become more stringent, businesses must also demonstrate how they handle, store and protect sensitive information. Detailed audit trails are increasingly essential to help you meet regulatory requirements by tracking who accesses, edits, or shares digital files. Automated monitoring tools embedded in many document management systems can also help identify potential weaknesses or unauthorised access before they escalate into full-scale breaches. In the event of a breach, these systems allow you to trace the attack's origins and swiftly address any compliance gaps.
Communication
Clear and effective communication is critical during an IT service disruption. As well as ensuring that employees know their roles during an incident, you must inform customers of any service interruptions, with transparent updates to maintain trust and mitigate frustration. Likewise, you’ll need to regularly update stakeholders on the status of recovery efforts to ensure alignment and reassure them that the situation is being managed.
Without a well-defined communication strategy, confusion can set in, prolonging downtime and compounding potential damage to your company’s reputation.
Testing and simulation
Plans that remain untested often fail in real emergencies, leaving your business vulnerable. Therefore, regular testing of your IT service continuity management plan is crucial to ensure that it functions as expected when a real incident occurs. Simulations, such as tabletop exercises and live drills, allow you and your teams to rehearse their responses and identify any gaps or weaknesses in your continuity strategies.
What’s more, these tests provide valuable insights into how well-prepared employees are and whether the systems and processes in place will work under pressure.
Assessing and improving
Continuity management is not a one-time effort; it’s an ongoing process that requires continuous evaluation and improvement. After each test (or real incident), it’s essential to assess the effectiveness of your response. Did the team execute the plan correctly? Were there any unforeseen challenges?
Identifying areas for improvement is key to refining your strategy. As business operations evolve and new threats emerge, continuity strategies must adapt accordingly. Regular reviews of your IT service continuity management plan will ensure it aligns with your current risks and business needs, making your organisation more resilient in the face of future disruptions.
Ransomware attacks and phishing scams are on the rise, meaning it's more important than ever to ensure that your print and document environment is protected against cyber attacks. Book a free security audit today to find out exactly where your vulnerabilities are and how to mitigate them.
