{"id":4512,"date":"2025-02-03T21:16:55","date_gmt":"2025-02-03T20:16:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/webiphi.be\/?p=4512"},"modified":"2026-05-31T01:18:06","modified_gmt":"2026-05-30T23:18:06","slug":"business-resumption-plan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/webiphi.be\/en\/plan-reprise-activite\/","title":{"rendered":"Business Continuity Planning (BCP): A complete guide for Belgian SMEs in 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

No Belgian company is safe from a computer damage<\/strong>ransomware, hardware failure, fire or human error can paralyze a business in a matter of minutes. Without disaster recovery plan<\/strong>(PRA), these incidents cost a Belgian SME an average of \u20ac4,700 per hour of downtime - not to mention the loss of customer confidence. A disaster recovery plan<\/strong> transforms a catastrophic event into a controlled interruption.<\/p>

At WEBIPHI<\/a>, We support SMEs in Brussels, Wallonia and Flanders in the design and testing of their disaster recovery plans. Here's the step-by-step method we apply to ensure business continuity after a computer disaster.<\/p>

1. What is a Disaster Recovery Plan (DRP)?<\/strong><\/h2>

A disaster recovery plan<\/strong> is a documented strategy that enables a company to rapidly restore its IT systems after a major incident. It aims to minimize data loss, limit disruption and ensure resumption of operations within the timeframe you have set. It's the IT equivalent of a fire escape plan: you only read it when you need it, but without it, everything collapses.<\/p>

A good DRP includes :<\/strong><\/h3>

An analysis of risks and possible scenarios
A reliable, tested backup system
A documented data restoration strategy
Operational recovery procedures assigned to managers
Regular testing and an update cycle<\/p>

2. Identify risks and potential impacts<\/strong><\/h2>

Before designing a DRP, identify the real threats to your business and assess their financial and operational impact.<\/p>

Types of computer claims<\/strong><\/h3>

Cyberattacks: ransomware, phishing, network intrusion
Hardware failures: servers, hard disks, switches
Natural disasters: fires, floods, prolonged power cuts
Human errors: accidental file deletion, misconfiguration
Supplier outages: unavailability of datacenter or cloud<\/p>

Objective:<\/strong> classify each risk according to its severity and probability of occurrence. Belgian SMEs should also check their compliance with the Center for Cybersecurity Belgium<\/a> and the European NIS2 directive, now applicable to many critical sectors.<\/p>

3. Set up an effective backup system<\/strong><\/h2>

Backup is the heart of any disaster recovery plan. Without recoverable data, no DRP is sustainable.<\/p>

Good backup practices (rule 3-2-1)<\/strong><\/h3>

3 copies<\/strong> of each critical data
2 different supports<\/strong>(local disk + cloud, for example)
1 off-site copy<\/strong>(remote datacenter or European sovereign cloud)
Automation<\/strong> backups to prevent forgetting
Encryption<\/strong> data at rest and in transit<\/p>

Recommended solution :<\/strong> combine a secure cloud backup (preferably hosted in Europe for RGPD compliance) with a local backup on a dedicated server.<\/p>

4. Define a system restoration plan<\/strong><\/h2>

Once the data has been saved, you need to know how and in what order<\/strong> restore them on D-day.<\/p>

Key steps to an effective recovery<\/strong><\/h3>

Establish a order of priority<\/strong> services to be restored (billing, e-mail, ERP, website)
Have access to emergency equipment<\/strong> or ready-to-use cloud environments
Prepare a detailed procedure<\/strong> per system, accessible even off-line
Test each procedure at least twice a year<\/p>

RTO and RPO :<\/strong> define your Recovery Time Objective<\/strong>(maximum acceptable interruption time) and your Recovery Point Objective<\/strong>(maximum tolerated data loss). These two indicators determine your entire technical and budgetary strategy.<\/p>

5. Training and raising team awareness<\/strong><\/h2>

An effective DRP relies not only on technical tools, but also on the human responsiveness<\/strong>. In the event of an accident, it's the team that makes the difference between 2 hours and 2 days downtime.<\/p>

Key actions<\/strong><\/h3>

Training employees in cybersecurity best practices
Organize disaster simulations to test the DRP in real-life conditions
Designate a crisis management manager<\/strong> and his substitute
Implement an internal and external communication plan (customers, suppliers, authorities)<\/p>

6. Test and update the DRP regularly<\/strong><\/h2>

A PRA obsolete<\/strong> is just as dangerous as a non-existent DRP. It needs to be tested and updated as your information system evolves.<\/p>

How do you test your plan?<\/strong><\/h3>

Perform data restoration tests at least twice a year
Simulate a cyber attack to test team reflexes
Analyze feedback after each test and adjust procedures
Update the DRP whenever the infrastructure or service provider changes<\/p>

Conclusion: protect your business with a solid disaster recovery plan<\/strong><\/h2>

A disaster recovery plan<\/strong> is the best insurance against downtime. For a Belgian SME, the cost of a well-structured DRP represents a fraction of the cost of a single day of uncontrolled downtime.<\/p>

Need help securing your infrastructure? Contact WEBIPHI<\/a> and discover our ICT and security solutions<\/a>- including the backup and recovery<\/a> and the network protection<\/a>- to build a customized DRP for your business.<\/p>

FAQ - Disaster recovery plan<\/h2>

What's the difference between PRA and PCA?<\/h3>

Visit disaster recovery plan<\/strong>(PRA) covers the technical restoration of IT systems after a disaster. The business continuity planning<\/strong>(BCP) is broader: it includes business, HR, legal and logistics processes. Belgian SMEs generally start with the DRP, which addresses 80 % of the risk of interruption.<\/p>

How much does a disaster recovery plan cost for a Belgian SME?<\/h3>

For an SME with 10 to 50 employees, a documented and tested DRP generally costs between \u20ac2,500 and \u20ac8,000 to set up, plus a monthly subscription to a cloud backup solution (\u20ac50-300\/month depending on volume). This is ten times less expensive than a single day of uncontrolled downtime.<\/p>

How often should you test your DRP?<\/h3>

At least twice a year for restoration tests, and at least once a year for a full-scale simulation (crisis exercise). Any major infrastructure change (new server, cloud migration, new service provider) should trigger a review of the DRP.<\/p>

Does the NIS2 directive require my Belgian company to have a DRP?<\/h3>

Since October 2024, the European NIS2 directive has imposed a documented DRP on a wide range of Belgian companies: energy, transport, healthcare, finance, digital services, critical suppliers. Even if you're not directly affected, your customers and principals are starting to demand proof of a disaster recovery plan before any contract.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Disaster recovery planning: the WEBIPHI method for Belgian SMEs. Backup, RTO\/RPO, NIS2, training and testing. The 2026 practical guide to ensuring business continuity.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4513,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_angie_page":false,"page_builder":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4512","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news-ict-securite"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/webiphi.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4512","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/webiphi.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/webiphi.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webiphi.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webiphi.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4512"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/webiphi.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4512\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9088,"href":"https:\/\/webiphi.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4512\/revisions\/9088"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webiphi.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4513"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/webiphi.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4512"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webiphi.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4512"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webiphi.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4512"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}