IT BUSINESS CONTINUITY PLANNING & RESILIENCE
“Ensuring IT Service Continuity and Organizational Resilience Through Robust BCP and Disaster Recovery Frameworks”
Course Schedule
| Date | Venue | Fees (Face-to-Face) |
|---|---|---|
| 03 – 07 Mar 2025 | Dubai, UAE | USD 3495 per delegate |
Course Introduction
Digital infrastructure is the backbone of modern organizations. From operational systems and customer platforms to data centers and cloud environments, IT disruptions can lead to revenue loss, reputational damage, and compliance failures. Business continuity planning (BCP) and IT resilience are essential to safeguarding services, data, and operations against threats such as cyberattacks, outages, and disasters.
This 5-day course provides IT professionals with the knowledge and practical tools to develop and maintain robust continuity and recovery strategies. Participants will explore risk analysis, impact assessments, disaster recovery (DR), incident response planning, and testing protocols based on standards like ISO 22301 and NIST.
Course Objectives
By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
- Understand the core components of IT business continuity and resilience.
- Conduct business impact analysis (BIA) and IT risk assessments.
- Define and manage recovery time objectives (RTO) and recovery point objectives (RPO).
- Develop comprehensive BCP and DR plans tailored to IT environments.
- Test, audit, and improve continuity frameworks through simulations and exercises.
- Integrate IT continuity into enterprise risk management and governance strategies.
Key Benefits of Attending
- Learn how to minimize IT disruption and maintain service continuity.
- Build resilience into IT infrastructure and digital services.
- Align IT continuity efforts with business priorities and compliance needs.
- Prepare for incidents ranging from system outages to full-scale cyber breaches.
- Gain confidence to lead continuity planning initiatives within your organization.
Intended Audience
This program is designed for:
- IT managers and infrastructure leaders
- Business continuity and disaster recovery planners
- Information security officers and risk managers
- CIOs, CISOs, and data center professionals
- Anyone responsible for IT continuity or enterprise resilience
Individual Benefits
Key competencies that will be developed include:
- BIA execution and continuity strategy formulation
- IT recovery plan development
- Crisis communication and escalation procedures
- Continuity performance measurement and review
- Incident response and resilience integration
Organization Benefits
Upon completing the training course, participants will demonstrate:
- Reduced recovery times during disruptions
- Stronger compliance with international standards
- Improved cross-departmental planning and communication
- Greater operational stability and reduced risk exposure
- A sustainable, organization-wide culture of IT resilience
Instructional Methdology
The course follows a blended learning approach combining theory with practice:
- Briefings – Best practices from ISO, NIST, and industry frameworks
- Templates – BIA reports, RTO/RPO calculators, DR plan formats
- Exercises – Risk scenario mapping and incident response role-play
- Case Studies – Analysis of real-world disruptions and lessons learned
- Workshops – Continuity plan development and testing simulation
- Peer Interaction – Experience exchange and readiness assessments
Course Outline
Training Hours: 7:30 AM – 3:30 PM
Daily Format: 3–4 Modules | Coffee breaks: 09:30 & 11:15 | Lunch Buffet: 01:00 – 02:00
Day 1: Business Continuity & Resilience Foundations
- Module 1: Introduction to IT Continuity and Risk (07:30 – 09:30)
- IT dependencies and risk scenarios
- Defining BCP, DR, and resilience
- ISO 22301 and NIST SP 800-34
- Module 2: Continuity Governance and Leadership (09:45 – 11:15)
- Policy, program ownership, and reporting
- Roles and responsibilities matrix
- Stakeholder and regulatory expectations
- Module 3: Business Impact Analysis (BIA) for IT (11:30 – 01:00)
- Identifying critical systems and services
- Mapping dependencies and downtime tolerances
- RTO and RPO calculation
- Module 4: Workshop – BIA and Risk Register (02:00 – 03:30)
- Participants build a risk-impact map for selected systems
Day 2: Recovery Strategy and Disaster Planning
- Module 5: IT Risk Assessment and Control (07:30 – 09:30)
- Threat modeling and vulnerability assessment
- Risk treatment plans
- Cyber risk and supply chain continuity
- Module 6: Recovery Strategy Design (09:45 – 11:15)
- Backup, replication, and redundancy options
- Cloud vs. on-prem DR solutions
- Infrastructure segmentation and failover
- Module 7: Disaster Recovery Plan Development (11:30 – 01:00)
- DR plan components and scope
- Sequence of restoration
- Command structure and checklists
- Module 8: Group Simulation – DR Plan Walkthrough (02:00 – 03:30)
- Teams simulate disaster scenario and walk through recovery process
Day 3: Testing, Monitoring, and Incident Response
- Module 9: Testing Continuity and DR Plans (07:30 – 09:30)
- Types of tests: tabletop, simulation, parallel
- Test frequency, metrics, and documentation
- Capturing lessons and revising plans
- Module 10: IT Incident Response Planning (09:45 – 11:15)
- Activation triggers and severity levels
- Escalation, containment, and coordination
- Internal and external communication protocols
- Module 11: Cyber Resilience and Security Alignment (11:30 – 01:00)
- Cyberattack continuity planning
- DDoS, ransomware, and insider threats
- Integrating BCP with security frameworks
- Module 12: Tabletop Exercise – Cyber Disruption Response (02:00 – 03:30)
- Team simulation and evaluation of real-time crisis handling
Day 4: Integration with Business Operations
- Module 13: Aligning IT BCP with Enterprise Continuity (07:30 – 09:30)
- Cross-functional BCP planning
- Shared service risks and interdependencies
- Collaboration with HR, legal, operations
- Module 14: Third-Party and Cloud Continuity Management (09:45 – 11:15)
- Assessing vendor resilience
- SLA clauses and compliance
- Managing continuity in cloud services
- Module 15: Metrics and Continuous Improvement (11:30 – 01:00)
- Key performance indicators (KPIs)
- Maturity assessment and audit preparation
- Corrective actions and reporting
- Module 16: Simulation – BCP Program Audit Review (02:00 – 03:30)
- Groups perform a mock audit and readiness gap analysis
Day 5: Finalization, Planning, and Certification
- Module 17: Documentation and Records Management (07:30 – 09:30)
- Plan formats, access control, and revision logs
- Linking BCP documents to CMDB and ITSM systems
- Module 18: Building a BCP Implementation Roadmap (09:45 – 11:15)
- Prioritizing initiatives and timelines
- Budgeting and resourcing
- Communication and change management
- Module 19: Capstone Presentation – IT BCP Strategy (11:30 – 01:00)
- Teams present BCP strategies for feedback and discussion
- Module 20: Certification Wrap-Up and Personal Action Planning (02:00 – 03:30)
- Review, Q&A, and individual improvement roadmaps
Certification
Participants who complete the program will receive a Certificate of Completion in IT Business Continuity Planning & Resilience, validating their ability to build, manage, and improve robust IT continuity and disaster recovery strategies.