Business Continuity Guidelines

1. Introduction

Business Continuity Management (BCM) is a process that enables Redgate to identify and plan to minimise the impact of risks that could affect its business operations and infrastructure.

BCM provides the capability for Redgate to continue business operations following a disruptive event.

Redgate recognises the importance of this process in ensuring that it can continue urgent operations following a disruptive event and to protect staff, revenue and reputation as a leading global software company.

2. Objective

Business Continuity Management is primarily about improving the resilience of Redgate. This means developing our ability to detect, prevent, minimise and where necessary deal with the impact of disruptive events.

In the aftermath of an incident, BCM will enable the urgent or priority activities of Redgate to continue; in the longer term, it will help Redgate to recover and return to “business as usual” as soon as possible after a disruptive event.

Redgate aims to develop, implement, and resource a BCM Programme that will enable it to respond to and manage any disruptions that occur.

The BCM Programme has the following key objectives:

• To embed Business Continuity into Redgate’s culture
• To identify urgent or priority activities across Redgate and develop suitable communication, decision and recovery plans
• To identify key risk areas and create and execute action plans to reduce the risk to those areas
• To establish groups within Redgate to plan and respond to incidents
• To raise the profile of BCM within Redgate.
  • This will include making staff aware of plans, their roles in them and appropriate training
• To inspect and adapt the BCM at Redgate
• To hand over the Business Continuity Programme (BCP) for continuous improvement once established within Redgate

3. Scope

The scope of business continuity will operate across all Redgate global offices, including Cambridge and Austin.

The Business Continuity Programme (BCP) prioritises on protecting and recovering critical activities at Redgate. A list of critical teams can be found here.

All systems and services are within the scope of BCP.

Home/Remote working will be out of scope.

Operational Framework

The Business Continuity Programme will follow a lifecycle of:

• Business Impact Analysis
• Prioritisation of Services
• Business Continuity Plans
• Business Continuity Plan testing

With the help of Redgate departments we shall identify critical activities and functions using a Business Impact Assessment and help develop recovery plans for critical services.

Redgate’s Director of IT (Business Continuity Manager) will coordinate the BCP.

• Disaster recovery (DR) plans will be created that will aid in returning functions and services back to business as usual. Departments should identify appropriate people to coordinate the development of their team’s disaster recovery plans
• All documentation should be reviewed as minimum on an annual basis and will be updated when there are significant changes to people, premises, or suppliers
• Testing exercises of Business Continuity Plans should be held on an annual basis
• Training and awareness will be a key and ongoing element of the Business Continuity Management Programme

Roles + Responsibilities

5.1 Business Continuity Leader

Redgate’s Director of IT is the lead for Business Continuity across the company.

This involves:

• Being the “champion” in terms of business continuity at strategic level by endorsing and supporting BCP
• Assisting with raising the profile of Business Continuity at a strategic level
• Chairing the Business Continuity Steering Group
• Reporting on the BCP and the state of readiness to Business Continuity Steering Group

5.2 Business Continuity Manager

The Business Continuity Manager is responsible for coordinating BCP for Redgate.

This involves:

• Raising the profile of Business Continuity across Redgate as an ongoing responsibility and ensuring that information is available to staff (with the aim of embedding BCM into the activities of Redgate)
• Providing advice and assistance throughout the BCP
• Developing appropriate templates for Redgate to detail its arrangements, ensuring consistency in the Programme with flexibility to recognise the differences across departments
• Supporting departments in completing the documentation from a Business Impact Analysis (BIA) to developing a Business Continuity Plan (BCP2)
• Assisting in the development of wider plans/arrangements to support team DR plans
• Ensuring that the company’s arrangements are regularly reviewed and tested
• Providing training to appropriate staff and leading on the development of exercises to review arrangements that have been put in place
• Monitoring the level of Business Continuity planning in the company and reporting to the Business Continuity Steering Group on this
• Reviewing the Programme to ensure it remains fit for purpose and to continuously improve the arrangements in place

5.3 Emergency Response Team

The Emergency Response Team is the decision-making group in the event of a major incident at Redgate.

This involves:

• Deciding to trigger the Business Continuity Plan in the event of an incident
• Appointing the leader of the Emergency Response Team (ERT) from the team
• If the plan is triggered:
  • Responding immediately to a potential disaster
  • Assessing the extent of the disaster and its impact on the business and safety of staff
  • Deciding which elements of the Business Continuity Plan need to be invoked
  • Establishing and managing a Disaster Recovery Team to return Redgate to normal operation
  • Ensuring staff are notified and allocate responsibilities and activities as required

The following Business as Usual tasks need to be considered by the ERT.

• Assisting the Business Continuity Manager on the development of Redgate’s Business Continuity planning arrangements including the review and development of an Emergency Response Plan, reporting on the arrangements in place and ensuring the plan is exercised on an annual basis (unless a major incident occurs that has “tested” arrangements in the plan)
• Making recommendations to the Business Continuity Steering Group regarding the BCP and taking forward actions on its behalf
• Supporting the exercising of plans to ensure that they remain up to date and fit for purpose

Additionally, members of the ERT will assist.

• Supporting and endorsing BCP and awareness raising regarding Business Continuity with the aim of embedding it into the culture of Redgate
• Ensuring there is a consistent approach to Business Continuity across Redgate
• Supporting the continuous improvement of BCP
• Approving recommendations from and allocating actions to the Emergency Response Team as appropriate
• Ensure that a risk assessment approach is taken in the development of arrangements

5.4 Redgate Employees

It is important and helpful that everyone at Redgate is aware of the BCM Programme. Employees should be aware of any arrangements in their team’s plans that could affect them and who they should contact in the event of an emergency.

5.5 How responding to an emergency would work in practice

For details of how our business continuity plans would operate please see this link

5.6 Group Structure and People

The Emergency Response Team is the group of people that are contacted in the event of an emergency. 2nd and 3rd line act as deputies if someone in the first line can’t be contacted.

For details of the ERT and DR Leads see this link

5.7 BCP Checklist

For details of the BCP checklist see this link