Trends 2016: The effective tools for business continuity

By Rohil Sharma

Businesses are evolving at a fast pace and there is a need to continuously innovate and find better ways of doing things. With organizations increasingly adopting automation, IT disruptions at the workplace have to be minimized. While automation can help achieve greater efficiencies, it is equally important for companies to ensure business continuity and availability. Here are some trends that will drive Business Continuity Planning and Management in the coming year:

Artificial Intelligence and Cognitive Computing will replace the traditional era of computing

AI and cognitive computing are emerging as the most fascinating technologies that are going to have an impact across different industry verticals. Think of a world where computers (robots) can learn and interact with humans naturally. With AI, computers (machines) can draw inferences from past experience, understand uncertainty, communicate initial conclusions, interact with people in a natural, human-language like way and then modify conclusions according to feedback. In future, most of the enterprises will adapt AI to make decisions, and get most of their work done autonomously. In other words, cognitive analytics offers a way to bridge the gap between big data and the reality of decision making. Additionally, AI can work efficiently with fewer human resources and lesser dependency on SMEs, thereby increasing the productivity.

Robotic Software Automation (RSA) will make an indelible mark

RSA is emerging as the new technology driver in various business functions like HR processes, F&A etc. With RSA, business processes can be safely automated 3-5 times faster than traditional approaches. Currently, robotic automation software allows business operations to automate work processes quickly and cost effectively – without the need for complex software engineering. Being a rule-based activity, the accuracy and efficiency is much higher. Moreover, RSA promises huge cost savings and effective productive improvement by eliminating tedious tasks for IT administrators. In the coming year, we can expect to see robotics moving into new areas.

Social Media will drive business continuity and recovery management

Nothing is more beneficial during a natural/IT disaster than public participation. Consider the recent example of Chennai floods. Citizens came together on social media – Twitter and Facebook – to coordinate efforts to send or seek help with accommodation, food and rescue relief. Today, public plays a key role in both information dissemination and assistance to authorities via social media. It’s a powerful tool for crisis leaders to notify and communicate before, during, and after natural catastrophe. Emergency responders find it more useful in their communication strategy which includes life safety and business recovery. The best part is that social media enables a two–way sharing of information. Social media serve as vital components of transparency and efficient outlets for managing business continuity in crisis situations.

Cloud-to-cloud continuity will get serious with Software-as-a-Service (SaaS)

Cloud technologies and services represent the fastest way for the business to reach new life into aging applications. As the wave of cloud computing continues to ripple through the technology world, enterprises are adapting software as a service (SaaS) in the cloud. With SaaS (on-demand software), users gain access to application software and databases. Even cloud providers can manage the infrastructure and platforms that run the applications. SaaS is different as its usually priced on a pay-per-use basis or using a subscription fee. Cloud backup has the ability to recover data and application data far more easily than traditional methods. According to Forrester Research, disaster recovery is a leading driver for public cloud use, but mostly by enterprises looking to improve the resiliency of mid-to low-end apps and for smaller companies putting their entire recovery strategy in the cloud. Cloud-to-cloud continuity will get serious with Software-as-a-Service’ (SaaS) in coming years.

(The author, Rohil Sharma, is CEO, Perpetuuiti)