A Model for Business Resilience
The recent global systems outage, caused by CrowdStrike’s failed update, exposes a key flaw in how we view business resilience. When asked how we make our businesses resilient to failures, human acts or errors, disasters, and other disruptions, we tend to focus on the technologies and services we put in place to prevent/protect and restore/recover.
Business Resilience
We define Business Resilience as your ability to get and keep your business up and running (even if it is running at a degraded level) until you can fully restore and recover.
Given the impact of the CrowdStrike failure on the airline industry, here is an aviation-themed model you can use as a guide.
Aviate
When an emergency happens in flight, the pilot’s first focus is to aviate – to ensure the plane keeps flying. If you can’t keep the plane in the air, your direction of travel does not really matter.
The same is true for your business. If you cannot keep your business running at a minimally viable level, you can run out of time and/or money before you are able to restore and recover.
Navigate
Once the pilot knows that the plane will continue to fly, they can assess their current location and take the necessary direction and steps they need to land safely.
Once you know that you can continue to operate, even if only at a base level, you can step back and map out the potentially complex steps needed to restore, recover, and return to normal operations. You can then navigate the technical, operational, customer service, legal, and other processes needed for your safe landing.
Communicate
Once the pilot can safely navigate to a landing, they have the time and focus to communicate. Although, pilots do communicate during the aviate and navigate phases, they limit communications to only information air traffic control, ground operations, emergency responders, and others need in order to assist with the situation. Additional details and analysis come later.
The same is true for you and your business. While you are aviating and navigating, you will want and need to share necessary information with those who need it. These communications need to be “to the point” and focused. You will have the time and focus to share more detailed information as you approach, or after you make, your safe landing. You will have the time needed for review, analysis, and planning after your return to normal operations.
Call to Action:
If you are unsure or lack confidence in your business’s resilience to disruptions, we can help. Contact us or schedule time with one of our Cloud Advisors.
About the Author
Allen Falcon is the co-founder and CEO of Cumulus Global. Allen co-founded Cumulus Global in 2006 to offer small businesses enterprise-grade email security and compliance using emerging cloud solutions. He has led the company’s growth into a managed cloud service provider with over 1,000 customers throughout North America. Starting his first business at age 12, Allen is a serial entrepreneur. He has launched strategic IT consulting, software, and service companies. An advocate for small and midsize businesses, Allen served on the board of the former Smaller Business Association of New England, local economic development committees, and industry advisory boards.
