Building Bridges in Higher Education Business Continuity

Mar 31, 2022

Back to Veoci BlogBuilding Bridges in Higher Education Business Continuity
Veoci Staff

Business continuity helps organize a business’ response to disruptions and emergencies But business continuity programs don’t come together as easily as that statement does, and this is especially true for larger organizations like colleges and universities.

The best way to build a successful business continuity program, especially for the planners in higher education, is by creating a collaborative environment. Having a collaborative program can really benefit a business continuity program and a good business continuity program should be a synergistic effort amongst many departments.

A partnership between the continuity planner on campus internal departments, and external entities generates the collaborative approach needed for an efficient business continuity management program.

Creating Business Continuity Plan

The COVID-19 crisis has been a perfect stage for demonstrating the value of a strong continuity program. The pandemic forced all colleges and universities to radically change the shape and scope of operations, and adapting was a collective effort between all departments. Continuity planning played a big role in how smooth that transition was for many, putting a focus on short-term planning and setting a long-term planning goal.

The business continuity plans (BCP) guide the restoration of normal day-to-day functions when crises threaten to upend operations. One BCP can’t cover all operations across all departments, however. Departments, especially in higher education, have unique operations and needs, and a general BCP can’t capture all of these nuances. A continuity planner can’t do all the lifting at a higher education institution.

Collaboration allows a business continuity program to thrive, and institutions can bring in ideas, processes, and platforms to facilitate that piece of the operation.

Ingraining Collaboration

Higher education institutions have many departments and collaboration between all departments is crucial during a crisis. Continuity planning is the same, and collaboration should be a central point in the thinking, exercises, and technology used for business continuity.

Continuity planners and their institutions should socialize the idea of a team-based planning approach to make the process go smoothly. Everyone at an organization benefits from strong continuity planning, and that’s exactly how the idea can be sold. Continuity keeps operations going even when it seems impossible, and the value in that is easy to see.

The process of planning needs work for the people who are putting their time into the effort. Technology is the key to making that a reality. Moving on from paper and spreadsheets immediately pushes a more open program out to other departments, one that can seamlessly work with them and accurately capture their operations within plans.

Expanding the role of technology can make a program even more efficient and bake collaboration into the process. The right platforms can automatically push escalations and ensure departments across campus participate, for example. To build a truly collaborative business continuity program, something has to make planning widely accessible, and technology can fill that gap.

Collaboration and Business Continuity

Business continuity programs don’t work if they leave departments out of the process. For colleges and universities, this statement is especially true. Fortunately, collaboration can quickly plant itself into the operation through a change in thinking, exercises, and technology.

Learn more about Veoci's business continuity solutions here.

Photo by Susan Q Yin on Unsplash

Subscribe to the Veoci Blog

Receive all the latest emergency, crisis, and continuity management news, tips, and advice

Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.

Related Posts

Weathering Disruptions: Business Continuity Versus Operational Resilience

Operational resilience has weaved itself into the lexicon of the business continuity world, sometimes supplanting the term business continuity as a synonym. And the term’s fuzzy newness is mostly to blame. But when you jump into the details, the two ideas show their differences; operational resilience and business continuity aren’t a thesaurus loop and are actually tags for two separate — but related — ideas, much like weather and climate.

Continue reading
Business Continuity: Review and Perspective for 2023

As the new year looms, what should business continuity planners look for in their larger review of their programs? Let’s go over a quick checklist.

Continue reading
Don’t Get Swindled by Kris Kringle: Online Holiday Shopping Safety Tips

With a projected $210 billion in online sales this year just from November to December alone, scammers are eager to get their share. Bad actors are prevalent all year round, but during these several weeks their efforts are ever increasing. Here are a few things to keep in mind that can help you stay safe while you add to your cart.

Continue reading

Connect with us on Social Media

Join us on our journey to improve emergency, operations, and continuity management!

Veoci Facebook PageVeoci Twitter AccountVeoci Linkedin Company Page

Face crisis and continuity challenges with expert solutions designed for you and your teams.

Schedule a Demo Now
ISO 27001 Certified Badge