Protect your business
Unexpected things can happen at any time. Power cuts, IT problems, staff shortages or supplier issues can all disrupt how your business operates.
Taking time to prepare helps your business respond calmly, reduce disruption and keep going when things do not go to plan, this is known as business continuity planning.
What is Business Continuity Planning?
Business continuity planning is simple planning so you can:
- Continue your most important work
- Protect staff, customers and your reputation
- Get back to normal quickly after disruption
Common disruptions that impact businesses include power cuts, IT problems, staff shortages, supplier issues, severe weather, fire or flood.
You do not need to plan for everything – only what would seriously affect your ability to operate.
Why Does it Matter?
Good business continuity planning helps you to:
- Stay open – or restart quickly
- Protect income – by reducing downtime
- Support staff – with clear actions and responsibilities
- Keep customer trust – by being reliable and prepared
Many customers, partners and insurers also expect basic plans to be in place.
Protecting Staff & Customers – Martyn’s Law
The Terrorism (Protection of Premises) Act 2025, commonly known as Martyn’s Law, received Royal Assent in April 2025.
The Act aims to improve organisational preparedness and protective security across the UK, requiring that those responsible for certain premises and events take steps to prepare for potential terrorist attacks and help keep people safe in the event of an attack.
In addition, certain larger premises and events are required to consider their vulnerability to acts of terrorism, and, where appropriate, take steps to reduce those vulnerabilities.
To find out more about Martyn’s Law and other ways to protect your staff and customers visit Protect UK.
Protecting Your IT System
Cyber attacks can significantly impact a business, whatever the size or sector.
Organisations should plan for cyber incidents as part of general risk planning. Putting in place a cyber incident response plan gives you a better change of mitigating the impact, helping to restore systems quickly and minimise business downtime.
To find out more about protecting your IT system take a look at the fantastic guidance and tools created by the National Cyber Security Centre
