A business continuity plan (BCP) is the most important element for IT governance to have in place to ensure the enterprise can maintain operations during extensive system downtime. A BCP consists of the processes and procedures an organization needs to ensure its critical business processes continue operating during a disaster1. A BCP should include methods to ensure uninterrupted delivery of critical IT services, identify the resources needed, and outline manual workarounds. It should also contain policies, standards, procedures, and tools for responding to and preventing major incidents, as well as the IT architecture of the organization2. A BCP should be reviewed regularly and updated as needed.

References := Business continuity planning (BCP) - Learning Center, IT Business Continuity | DisasterRecovery.org, IT Governance Blog: free business continuity plan template