Over the past year, organizations have learned that Business conditions can change rapidly and on a massive scale. Traditional models of business continuity planning focus on keeping key processes running for the duration of a catastrophic event. Few organizations were prepared to cope with the risk created by global disruptions to supply chains and workforces.

Because most business processes rely heavily on technology, business risk has become virtually synonymous with IT risk. The term “digital resiliency” reflects the relationship between business and IT, and the idea that any change to the IT environment creates new vulnerabilities for the business. Every new piece of hardware or software adds to the risk of downtime, disruption or cyberattack.

But businesses must embrace IT change in response to business disruptions. That’s why IDC has developed a new model for digital resiliency that emphasizes adaptability. Organizations must be able to not only maintain their operations but capitalize on any new opportunities that emerge from the changed conditions.

The New Digital Resiliency Model

IDC’s Digital Resiliency Framework consists of three phases.

Respond and Retore. This phase is closest to traditional business continuity and crisis management models. Organizations must respond quickly to disruptive events to minimize any operational downtime. However, it goes beyond merely recovering existing processes to their previous state. Business and IT leaders must identify and remediate any weaknesses exposed by the disruptive event.

Expand and Optimize. Once organizations move past the initial shock of the crisis, they should look for areas of technology investment that can drive the business forward. The disruptive event should be viewed as an opportunity to reduce costs, increase productivity, enhance customer service and improve decision-making. Organizations that prepare for growth will be positioned to not only weather the crisis but thrive in its aftermath.

Accelerate and Innovate. In this phase, organizations are looking for ways to leverage technology to develop new business models, products and services. This transformative phase recognizes that markets will continue to be volatile for some time after a disruptive shock. Organizations should focus on future-proofing their operations to minimize the need for reactive measures.

Although technology is the linchpin of digital resiliency, the concept encompasses every aspect of the business. Organizations should develop a plan for responding to operational and financial threats and ensuring that quality and integrity are maintained to protect the company brand and reputation. Steps should be taken to optimize employee engagement and the customer experience. Business and IT leadership should work together to increase organizational agility.

How Rahi Can Help

Rahi’s consultants have both extensive IT experience and business acumen to help you define and implement a digital resiliency strategy. Through our ELEVATE framework, we leverage proven methodologies and repeatable processes to assess your environment, identify gaps and risks, and develop a plan for achieving your business objectives.

A key component of Rahi’s model is the documentation of existing processes — a critical first step in the Respond and Restore phase. We also leverage a continuous improvement approach to maximize the benefits of technology implementations and upgrades as you move through the Expand and Optimize and Accelerate and Innovate phases.

Rahi’s ELEVATE Subscription Services allow you to take advantage of the latest networking, security and collaboration technologies on flexible one-, two- or three-year terms. With ELEVATE Subscription Services, you gain on-premises technology without upfront capital investments and complex deployments. Our elastic price models and guaranteed opex cost efficiencies minimize the financial risk of a digital resiliency strategy.