Outsourcing the BCP Function
Can outsourcing your BCP function to a third party lead to improved efficiencies, effectiveness and ability to recover the critical processes and systems of your company? Yes and no. We recommend you require the following of any firm before hiring them:
- Require Metrics to Measure Maturity Level of Program Before, During and After Engagement
- Have Proven Ability to Make Your Program Executable
- Be Specifically Focused on What Needs to Be Done
- Provide Highly Experienced Resources
- Display Methodology and Tools to Get the Job Done
- References Clearly Showing Ability to Build and Maintain a Program
We have seen outsourcing work very well with new programs getting off the ground and requiring a “Jump Start” to get moving quickly and in the right direction. We currently serve as the BCP Office for 5+ plus clients ranging in size from small to very large corporate organizations. In a number of cases, the client has decided to not hire a BCP person but use us, year after year. Once the program has been established, clients can accurately budget (e.g., $75k to $150k) a set amount knowing they are getting highly experienced BCP resources who will maintain the program at a high level of maturity and ability to execute.
For an agreed upon yearly fee, we provide as many resources needed to get the job done. During times of the year, the client may require 2 consultants and at other times, 1. This allows the client to ramp or down with additional expertise but not having to hire additional staff.
If you hire the right firm, they should be able to get the BCP work done quicker, faster and better without having to hire an in-house person.
About MHA: MHA Consulting, with its decade-long track record, is a proven leader in business continuity planning, disaster recovery planning, IT best practices and data center moves and relocations. Every day, MHA helps protect trillions of dollars of global-market assets and top companies around the world rely on MHA services for the continuity of their business. For more information on MHA, contact Michael Herrera at herrera at mha-it dot com.
Michael Herrera
Michael Herrera is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of MHA. In his role, Michael provides global leadership to the entire set of industry practices and horizontal capabilities within MHA. Under his leadership, MHA has become a leading provider of Business Continuity and Disaster Recovery services to organizations on a global level. He is also the founder of BCMMETRICS, a leading cloud based tool designed to assess business continuity compliance and residual risk. Michael is a well-known and sought after speaker on Business Continuity issues at local and national contingency planner chapter meetings and conferences. Prior to founding MHA, he was a Regional VP for Bank of America, where he was responsible for Business Continuity across the southwest region.
