Business Continuity Planning for WiseTech Global

Assessment 3
Template

Student Name
Student Number

Business name	WiseTech Global
Industry name	Logistics Software Company
Business Background	This provides effective development of logistics software solutions and identifies different types of software identification for threads.
Industry Background	The WiseTech Global company provides a wide range of software innovation plans and development.

Introduction

The contemporary business environment is characterized by numerous risks ranging from technology-based to other risks that can quite easily affect an organization’s performance. Effective BCP is the only way to deal with these threats, especially in the knowledge-based industries that depend on technology and information. This report contains a clear Business Risk Register, a Business Impact Analysis for WiseTech Global, which is the leader in the logistics software industry, an Incident Response Plan, and a Recovery Plan. It helps WiseTech outline the possible threats of threats, evaluate and define how they can be responded to base on preparedness plans. This preventive measure not only protects the company’s business areas but also prevents or minimizes the organization’s client debacle and non-compliance with the existing rules and regulations.

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Part 1 – Business Risk Register

Risk Name	Risk Description	Likelihood	Impact	Priority	Impact (Details)	Mitigation Measure
Cyberattacks and Data Breaches	Unauthorized access to sensitive data through cyberattacks, phishing, or malware.	High	Severe	High	Data theft, reputational damage, legal penalties, downtime.	Implement strong cybersecurity policies, multi-factor authentication, encryption, regular security audits, and training.
System Outages and Downtime	System failure due to hardware issues, software bugs, or network problems (Cherrared, 2019, p. 15).	Medium	High	High	Disruption of service delivery, client dissatisfaction, and financial losses.	Regular maintenance, failover systems, disaster recovery plans, and cloud infrastructure with redundancy.
Supply Chain Disruptions	Delays caused by transportation issues, material shortages, or trade restrictions.	Medium	Moderate	Medium	Delayed shipments, increased costs, and reduced customer satisfaction.	Diversify suppliers, implement predictive analytics for delays, and improve client communication.
Natural Disasters	Natural events like floods, bushfires, or storms affect infrastructure or operations.	Low	Severe	High	Service outages, infrastructure damage, safety risks, and continuity disruptions.	Geographic data center diversity, emergency response plans, and partnership with recovery services.
Regulatory and Compliance Risks	Failure to comply with regional laws and regulations regarding data protection and export controls.	Low	High	Medium	Fines, legal liabilities, loss of licenses, reputational damage.	Regular legal audits, compliance tracking software, and ongoing staff training.

Part 2 – Business Impact Analysis

Critical Business Activity	Description	Dependency on Outside Services/Products	Impact of Loss	RTO (Critical Period)
1. Cloud-Based Logistics Software Operations	Core activity that ensures the global logistics software services are available for clients to manage their shipments and logistics operations effectively.	Cloud service providers, data centers, internet connectivity	Financial loss due to disrupted client operations, reputation damage, potential legal liabilities, and loss of clients.	12 hours
2. Customer Support and Service Management	Provides real-time support to clients facing issues with the software, ensuring uninterrupted use of the logistics system.	Telecommunication providers, helpdesk platforms (e.g., Zendesk)	Loss of client trust, decreased customer satisfaction, operational delays for clients, increased complaint volume, and potential client churn.	24 hours
3. Software Development and Updates	Involves regular updates, feature additions, and patches to improve the software’s functionality and security.	Development tools, cloud repositories (e.g., GitHub), third-party API services	Exposure to security vulnerabilities, reduced software performance, client dissatisfaction, and risk of cyberattacks or data breaches.	48 hours
4. Data Backup and Security Management	Responsible for maintaining data integrity, backing up client data, and protecting against cyber threats like data breaches.	Backup service providers, encryption tools, cybersecurity vendors	Data loss, breach of compliance with data protection laws (GDPR), significant financial losses, reputational damage, potential lawsuits, and client data loss (Zelianin, A., 2022, p. 93).	6 hours

Figure 1: Business Impact Analysis

(Business, 2021)

The Business Impact Analysis for WiseTech Global recognizes four key business functions that are paramount in the continuity of business as usual. The first one is Cloud Based Logistics Software Operation under which clients can easily and effectively monitor their shipment all over the world. This service can only be unavailable for 24 hours and is based on cloud service providers and an internet connection. A disruption could result in financial loss, oh, and an outflow of clients hence the Recovery Point Objective RPO of 12 hours. A closely related activity is Customer Support and Service Management, which includes delivering timely client services 24 hours a day. This service can be unavailable for a maximum of forty-eight hours depending on the telecommunication providers. It could reduce customer satisfaction and more complaints, but maintaining an RTO of 24 hours will ensure the clients do not leave. Furthermore, Software Development and Updates are essential to improving the efficiency or security of the software, although this function may be unavailable for up to one week this role should have an RTO of 48 hours to ensure the security of the software. Finally, Data Backup and Security Management is responsible for data authenticity and safeguarding against leakage it aims for a maximum of 12 hours of unavailability and an RTO of 6 hours because losses and breaches are crucial and might lead to legal suppression.

Part 3 – Incident Response Plan

Incident Type	Actions Required to Eradicate/Resolve the Incident	Resources Required to Resolve the Incident	Who is Responsible for Remediation Actions	Systems/Services to be Prioritised	Systems/Services Affected During the Remediation Process and How
1. Cloud-Based Logistics Software Outage	- Detect outage and trigger failover to backup systems. - Investigate root cause and restore service. - Notify clients and provide regular updates on the status.	Backup data centers, cloud service engineers, monitoring tools	IT Infrastructure Team, Cloud Service Providers	Cloud-based logistics software platform	Cloud-based systems may experience reduced performance or downtime during failover client operations may temporarily halt until services resume.
2. Cyberattack or Data Breach	- Isolate affected systems. - Investigate breach source and contain threat. - Patch vulnerabilities. - Notify authorities and clients if necessary.	IT security tools (firewalls, IDS/IPS), forensic experts, legal resources	IT Security Team, Legal Team	Data security, encryption, compliance systems	Affected systems may need to be taken offline for investigation, disrupting access to sensitive data and security services (Lehto, 2022, p. 27).
3. Customer Support System Failure	- Reroute customer queries to alternate channels. - Work with telecommunication providers to restore systems. - Notify customers and provide updates via email/website.	Alternative communication channels (chatbots, remote support access)	Customer Service Team, Telecommunication Providers	Customer support portal, alternative communication platforms	Customer support systems will be offline, requiring the use of alternative communication methods (e.g., chatbots, email) (Sulaiman, 2022, p. 15).
4. Software Development and Update Delay	- Prioritize critical updates. - Identify development blockers and expedite the resolution. - Notify teams and clients about potential delays.	Development tools (CI/CD pipelines), project management resources	Development Team, Project Management Team	Software patch management, security update deployment	Clients may face delays in receiving critical software patches, leaving systems vulnerable to potential security risks until updates are deployed.

Figure 2:Incedent Response Plan

(Sushmith, 2024)

The response plan for WiseTech Global describes specific measures for four important events. In case of a disruption of the cloud-based logistics software, their IT Infrastructure Team will notice it, switch the system to a backup solution, and inform clients: that cloud services can do so while they might be offline for a while. In case of a cyberattack or data breach, the IT Security Team will contain the systems conduct a root cause analysis and fix the issue, it may take time to restore data security and compliance systems due to their criticality. If the customer support system is down, the Customer Service Team will manage to shift the customer queries to other channels and should inform the customers, though it will disrupt support processes temporarily. Last of all, if software updates are also delayed in some way, then the Development Team will be focusing on a few important updates while fixing any development hurdles this has an impact on patching and creates clients’ exposure until solutions are rolled out. Such a structured plan reduces disruptions to normal business and safeguards the integrity of WiseTech and its relations with its clients.

Part 4 – Recovery Plan

Critical Business Activities	Preventative/Recovery Actions	Resource Requirements/Outcomes	Recovery Time Objective (RTO)	Responsibility
1. Cloud-Based Logistics Software Operations	- Activate backup data centers. - Restore primary systems. - Verify system integrity before full operation.	Backup servers, cloud engineers, and monitoring tools. Outcome: Full system restoration.	12-24 hours	IT Infrastructure Team, Cloud Service Providers
2. Customer Support and Service Management	- Switch to alternative communication channels (chatbots, email). - Restore telecom systems. - Resume full support operations post-testing.	Chatbots, alternative communication tools. Outcome: Continued customer support.	24-48 hours	Customer Service Team, Telecommunication Providers
3. Software Development and Updates	- Prioritize critical patches. - Expedite development resources. - Test updates in staging before deployment (Zhang, 2021, p. 116).	CI/CD pipelines, additional developers. Outcome: Timely patch deployment.	48-72 hours	Development Team, Project Management Team
4. Data Backup and Security Management	- Restore from data backups. - Patch vulnerabilities. - Conduct a system audit before resuming full services (Bas, 2024, p. 32).	Backup storage, and security audit tools. Outcome: Data restoration and improved security.	6-12 hours	IT Security Team, Backup Service Providers

Recovery strategies for this company to enable quick return of key business processes after disruptions are explained in the following plan for WiseTech Global. Both activities have specific preventive and recovery actions connected to them to maintain ongoing operations. In the case of cloud operations of the logistics software setup, the plan entails initiating the backup data centers while synchronizing primary systems. This process needs back servers, and experienced cloud engineers, with RTO set to 12-24 hours.

More in client servicing and management of customer service, the shifting of customers from one channel for instance from phone calls to chatbot enables them to be served continuously during system problems. This approach should ideally be completed in 24-48 hours and use available resources such as communication tools to maintain the service. Critical patches become priorities, and adding more developers helps get updates released quickly with an RTO of 48–72 hours for a software development environment.

Last of all, data backup and security management deal with the restoration of lost data and the process of patching up the loopholes that call for the essence of backup storage and security audit equipment. This activity is supposed to be completed within 6-12 hours, and it is an effective activity to save time on the repetition of work. In general, the plan is based on anticipation, clear roles, and assigned timeframes in a/an recovery process to minimize adverse effects on the operation and provide support for WiseTech Global.

Part Five – Reflection

1. Assessment: Conduct Comprehensive Risk Assessments
WiseTech Global should undertake thorough and frequent risk analysis as it factors contemporary risks in the logistics software business. The company can, therefore, systematically assess various risks that might affect it in the future including cyber risks, system risks, and dependencies within its supply chain. It will therefore help WiseTech to focus on the risks appropriately such that important risks are not overlooked through the process.

2. Preparedness: Develop a Robust Training Program

To improve readiness it is recommended for WiseTech Global to implement an extensive corporate program for training employees in the area of business continuity and crisis response. Minimizing the use of unannounced drills and simulations means that staff members know their responsibilities during an emergency. Such training will enhance timely response and efficiency during an occurrence of interruption and cultivate wisdom in the firm.

3. Response: Establish a Dedicated Incident Response Team

The comprehensive response can be enhanced in the future at WiseTech Global by gathering a particular incident response team consisting of individuals who are skilled for different sorts of emergencies, of which cybersecurity and operational ones can be a part. This specialized team would also be in charge of establishing response plans, and simulations and also be proactive during an event. From the social and market perspectives, a good preparedness and response plan can reduce the amount of time the company takes to recover or manage a crisis (Mikušová, M. and Horváthová, P., 2019, p. 1846).

4. Recovery: Implement a Continuous Improvement Process

To improve the overall business recovery strategy, WiseTech Global should incorporate a continuous improvement process into the business continuity plans. The response and recovery phases need to be critiqued regarding their outcome and with only minor changes toward the following phases of the IPS that can be made in case of any disruption (Dawson et al., 2021, p. 2). Moreover, since each organization’s recovery plans should be sensitive to the organization’s experiences, updating and revising the recovery strategies regularly may help WiseTech create organizational resilience and maintain the organization’s documented plans as adaptable to new challenges.

Conclusion

The case of WiseTech Global and the analyses and strategic recommendations provided for it underscores the necessary integral and active approach to Business Continuity Planning. To improve WiseTech’s disruptive readiness, several areas must be addressed: risk identification, employee training, incident response planning, and recovery procedures. Strengthening these brings versatility that will help the organization avoid the effects of different risks but also encourage more strength on top of resilience. With such an ongoing change in the market for logistics software, the commitment of the WiseTech Group to preserve their business operations and protect the interests of the clients will contribute to their future success and development.

References

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