No Plan, No Profit: Why Business Continuity is the Unsung Hero of 2025

In 2025, Australians have seen it all—fires, floods, cyberattacks, and even the great national Tim Tam shortage of March (yep…still too soon). So you’d think by now, most businesses would have robust, well-oiled business continuity and resilience plans in place for when things go pear-shaped. Right?

Wrong.

Some organisations still operate on the classic Aussie mantra of “She’ll be right.” Unfortunately, in the world of business continuity, “she’ll be right” is also the first step towards “she’s gone under.”

The reality is, resilience isn’t just about having a dusty binder labelled “Crisis Plan” wedged behind the office microwave. True resilience means actively reviewing those plans, testing them, and—this is key—training your people so they don’t panic and start a live-stream of the blackout instead of invoking the backup generator.

Let’s talk about reviewing your plan. Business continuity plans are not red wine; they do not get better with age. That strategy you wrote in 2019 still talks about Zoom like it’s a newfangled thing and suggests ringing Telstra to restore your fax line. Regular reviews help ensure your plan reflects your current risks, not the ones from four Prime Ministers ago.

Then comes testing. Oh yes, the dreaded fire drill of business planning. It’s tempting to skip it, especially when there’s coffee to drink and KPIs to pretend to understand. But without drills, simulations, or at least one dramatic table-top exercise where Steve from IT pretends to be a ransomware attacker (he’s worryingly good at it), you’re just hoping the plan works. Spoiler: hope is not a strategy.

And here’s where training steps in. You can have the most beautiful continuity plan in the country, complete with colour-coded flowcharts and inspirational quotes from Sun Tzu - but if your staff haven’t been trained, they’ll use it to prop open the door to where you hide those Tim Tams. Training isn’t just about knowledge; it’s about mindset. People need to understand why resilience matters. Because when the systems go down, the lights go out, and customers start commenting on your completely unrelated latest social post, it’s not the C-suite that gets hit first - it’s the front line.

Which brings us to the real kicker: redundancy. Or more accurately, the lack thereof. In a world where so many businesses rely on a single cloud provider, one warehouse, or one irreplaceable Jeff from Accounts, not having a Plan B is like trying to fly with one wing. You might soar briefly, but you’re heading for the trees.

Resilience isn’t about preventing every crisis, it’s about bouncing back faster than your competitors. It’s about having options. Alternative suppliers. Secondary systems. Backup offices. Even just knowing who has the office keys when Karen from Admin is on holiday.

So in 2025, let’s stop treating business continuity like it’s optional. Because in the current climate, both literal and economic, not being prepared isn’t brave, it’s just bad business. Think of continuity planning as the insurance you hope never to use, but one day will thank yourself for having. Also, as a bonus, your team gets to run pretend disasters, which is the most fun you can legally have in a boardroom.

And remember: if your only backup plan is crossing your fingers, you might want to rethink whether you’ve actually got your hands tied behind your back…