If the COVID-19 pandemic has taught the world anything, it’s that each event is different from the last. It’s not enough to have an abstract plan in place when disaster strikes.

The most effective disaster recovery and business continuity (DR/BC) plans are those that organizations practice routinely.

Insurers and companies across all industries should be prepared to stay online during a range of natural and man-made disasters, from earthquakes to pandemics and cyber-attacks.

Modern consumers have come to expect 24/7 accessibility from their service providers. A weak infrastructure that can’t reroute traffic or a third-party partner’s lapsed platform causing an entire system to go down are not just inconveniences—they’re threats to customer relationships.

DR/BC plans should take such liabilities into account and be tested end-to-end. Most insurers created DR/BC plans with hurricanes, winter storms or other natural disasters in mind—not terrorist attacks or pandemics.