Why is Building and Maintaining Cyber Resilience Such a Challenge? 

Creating a Business Impact Analysis (BIA) and maintaining a Business Continuity Plan (BCP) are critical steps for any organization. Yet, for many businesses and IT managers, these foundational resiliency components often feel like daunting, time-consuming chores. Why is that the case? And how can partnering with a Managed IT Service Provider make things a little bit easier? 

This post will explore the pain points of developing a BIA and BCP, explain their essential roles in cyber resilience, and demonstrate how third-party providers can remove the headache from the process. 

Why is a Business Impact Analysis (BIA) Hard to Create? 

If you’re a small business owner or an IT manager, you’ve likely encountered the challenges of crafting a BIA. A Business Impact Analysis determines the potential consequences of business disruptions, providing insights to prioritize critical operations during a crisis. But here’s why it’s so often a struggle: 

1. Limited Expertise 

Many small IT teams don’t have specialized training in resilience planning or risk assessment. They excel in day-to-day operations, but a BIA requires insight into operational structure, key dependencies, and potential failure points beyond their typical scope. 

2. Time-Intensive Process 

Creating a comprehensive BIA can take weeks, especially when you must engage with every work unit in the company to gather accurate data about every function and its potential impact. That usually means explaining what BIA is to your coworkers 1,000 times along with attempting to nail down multiple slots on multiple busy calendars in order to review your findings. For teams already stretched thin managing daily IT tasks, carving out this time to complete a BIA is a significant burden. 

3. Inefficient Tools 

Without access to advanced, automated tools, many small businesses rely on manual processes like spreadsheets and surveys to conduct a BIA. These methods increase the risk of errors and make updates cumbersome. If you do have the ability to implement some kind of continuity software, you’re spending time resetting coworkers’ passwords and arranging tutorials for how to use everything. 

Despite these slightly maddening challenges, a BIA is non-negotiable for building a reliable cyber resilience strategy. Without it, your team operates in a reactive mode, which could cost precious time and resources in the event of an incident. 

Why is Maintaining a Business Continuity Plan (BCP) a Pain? 

Once you’ve overcome the hurdle of creating a BIA, the next task—developing and maintaining a Business Continuity Plan—can feel even more overwhelming. Isn’t that great? A BCP is a document that outlines how your organization will operate during and after a disruption. Here’s why keeping it up to date is so difficult: 

1. Lack of Visible ROI 

Unlike marketing campaigns or tech upgrades, a BCP doesn’t deliver immediate or tangible returns. For leaders focused on measurable wins, the long-term, preventative purpose of a BCP may feel less urgent, making it harder to garner sustained support. 

2. Rapidly Changing Business Environments 

Every year, organizations face new challenges—whether it’s technological advancements, evolving compliance regulations, or market shifts. These changes mean your BCP needs constant updates. For small teams, keeping pace can feel like climbing the wrong way on an escalator.  

3. Resource Constraints 

Maintaining a BCP isn’t a one-time task—it requires consistent monitoring, training, and testing. With limited resources, organizations often deprioritize these activities, which reduces the effectiveness of their plan over time. 

While the time and effort required to maintain a BCP may seem prohibitive, skipping the process is risky—disruptions can devastate businesses that lack a clear plan for recovery. 

Why Are These Efforts Crucial for Cyber Resilience? 

Although the pain is real, BIAs and BCPs are essential components of any cyber resilience strategy. That is to say, they don’t feel like they matter until they really matter. If your business gets taken down by a successful phishing or ransomware attack, the benefits of having an active, up-to-date plan far outweigh the short-term challenges. 

  • Minimized Disruption: A detailed BIA helps identify the most critical business functions and ensures you focus on restoring the right priorities during a crisis. 
  • Faster Recovery: Having a BCP speeds up your recovery time after a disruption, reducing downtime and minimizing financial losses. 
  • Improved Stakeholder Confidence: Customers, investors, and partners trust businesses that demonstrate the ability to manage risks effectively. 
  • Regulatory Compliance: Many industries require detailed resilience planning to meet legal and regulatory obligations anyway. A robust BIA and BCP keep you ahead of potential penalties. 

Without these tools, your business is extremely vulnerable to disruptions—whether caused by natural disasters, cyberattacks, or unforeseen operational issues. 

How a Managed IT Service Provider Simplifies the Process 

For teams struggling to manage the complexity of resilience planning, outsourcing to a third-party Managed IT Service Provider (MSP) can be a game-changer. Here’s how MSPs make it easier: 

1. Expertise at Your Fingertips 

Managed IT providers specialize in resilience planning, ensuring your BIA and BCP are grounded in best practices. They bring a wealth of experience across industries and can help identify vulnerabilities that your in-house team may overlook. 

2. Streamlined Tools and Automation 

Many MSPs leverage advanced tools that automate data collection, risk analysis, and plan updates. This reduces the manual workload for your team while improving accuracy and efficiency. Volta utilizes a single platform to support our clients’ entire continuity and recovery strategies. 

3. Ongoing Maintenance and Monitoring 

One of the biggest challenges of resilience planning is keeping up with frequent changes. MSPs relieve that burden by performing regular testing, updates, and audits to ensure your BCP remains relevant and actionable. 

4. Cost-Effective Solutions 

Contrary to popular belief, outsourcing doesn’t have to break the bank. MSPs often customize their services to fit your budget, allowing you to focus internal resources where they’re most needed. 

5. 24/7 Support 

Disruptions don’t always follow business hours. MSPs offer round-the-clock support, ensuring you have a partner ready to respond whenever a crisis arises. 

Partnering with a Managed IT Service Provider allows you to prioritize your business operations while maintaining confidence that your resilience strategy is in expert hands. 

Build a Resilience Strategy That Works 

BIAs and BCPs may not deliver instant gratification, but businesses that invest in them gain a competitive edge in resilience. By documenting critical operations, identifying risks, and establishing a clear recovery game plan, you position your organization to withstand disruptions and emerge stronger. 

Feeling overwhelmed by the process? You don’t have to tackle it alone. Volta offers customizable solutions to simplify resilience planning, providing the expertise and tools you need to stay ahead of threats. 

Are you ready to protect and future-proof your business? Talk to us today about converting your resilience strategy into a managed service package that fits your needs. We’re here to help.