Better business continuity planning required: Leger poll

Almost half of corporate Canada has faced disasters such as a power outage or IT failure, and yet 75% of 520 surveyed companies are relying on an “unofficial” business continuity plan, according to a recent report conducted by Leger Marketing for Fusepoint Managed Services.

The report says 50% of surveyed companies have a disaster recovery plan that would qualify as “full-blown.” Thirty-three per cent of firms were operating with only an “unofficial” recovery program.

A phone tree is the primary means of continuing business in the instance of a disaster for 12% of companies surveyed, according to the report.

Forty per cent of the business executives interviewed said they have not devoted any finances towards a disaster recovery program in the last five years.

Eighty percent of respondents claim to have spent less than CD$100,000.

A plurality (46%) of executives said an IT disaster is the biggest perceived threat to the workplace.

Other “greatest threats” cited included fire or theft, internal employee error, infrastructure disaster and natural disaster. A pandemic was the lowest on the list of executive concerns, with only 25% considering it to be their greatest threat.