Business continuity consulting
Business continuity consulting from the perspective of Electrical engineering
Why business continuity is important
Business continuity from the perspective of Electrical engineering
Unexpected events such as power outages, IT malfunctions, ransomware attacks, or defects in central energy systems can significantly impair operational processes. Since almost all critical business processes depend on a stable electrical power supply, technical malfunctions quickly pose risks to production, data availability, and security. At the same time, the requirements of legal regulations and relevant standards such as BSI Standard 200 4, ISO 27001, and TISAX 6 are increasing significantly.
ITW consulting business continuity consulting combines electrical engineering expertise with a structured assessment of technical and organizational risks. This allows weaknesses to be identified at an early stage, reduces the risk of failure, and strengthens the company's ability to act in the long term.
Technical challenges
Typical risks and their effects
A reliable energy and plant infrastructure is essential for maintaining operational processes, even in exceptional situations. Technical malfunctions often occur without warning. Their impact depends largely on how stable the power supply, distribution systems, network structures, and IT systems are designed, operated, and secured. The following risks occur particularly frequently and have a direct impact on a company's ability to operate.
Failure of the mains supply
Failures in the public power supply bring critical processes to an immediate standstill. We test UPS and emergency power supply systems, evaluate their design and show you how to make your power supply stable and fail-safe.
Main and sub-distribution boards (NSHV)
How quickly a system is up and running again depends on the condition of the distribution boards. We check documentation, labelling, maintenance and repairability and show where technical and organizational risks exist.
MV switchgear and transformers
The failure of central switchgear or transformers affects the supply in very different ways depending on the grid structure. We analyze ring lines, parallel feeds and spur lines and develop concepts for maximum security of supply.
EMC, earthing and IT security
IT systems are sensitive to earthing and EMC problems. We identify unwanted currents, test IT environments and assess how well your infrastructure is protected against interference.
Organization in an emergency
Structures, roles and processes
Many downtimes are caused not only by technical defects, but also by unclear roles, missing reporting chains, or unprepared employees. As part of the analysis, we examine how well your organization is prepared for emergencies and whether processes and responsibilities are reliable in the event of an emergency.
BCM concept and roles
An effective business continuity concept regulates responsibilities, qualifications and processes. We check whether your roles are aligned with the requirements of BSI Standard 200 4.
Maintenance and servicing
Up-to-date plans, clean labeling and sufficient stocks of spare parts are crucial for rectifying faults quickly. We analyze maintenance, documentation and repair capability.
Reporting chains and communication
In an emergency, every minute counts. We ensure that it is defined who is informed, who makes decisions and whether specialists are available on all shifts.
Immediate measures and restart
Load shedding, changeovers or safe shutdowns are among the most important reactions. We check whether employees know which steps are necessary in an emergency and how a structured restart works.
What we do for you
Our consulting services
Technical inventory
Organizational inventory
Risk assessment and risk matrix
Evaluation report & recommendations for action
Use in different environments
Business continuity for different industries
Our business continuity consulting has proven itself in a wide variety of technical environments. The following examples show how we support companies and facilities in making their energy and plant infrastructure reliable and resilient.
Hospitals
- Infrastructure and facilities in hospitals are regularly not state of the art, but lives depend on undisturbed operation.
- Prioritizing retrofits when funds are tight and keeping spare parts in stock are key components of support.
- Employees in all shifts and at all locations must be qualified to take important immediate measures themselves in an emergency.
- In the field of medical technology, the focus is on raising employee awareness and concluding service level agreements with manufacturers.
- Monitoring and maintenance of IT networks for operating theaters must be guaranteed one hundred percent.
Data centers
- Definition of work processes (standard operating procedures) for the maintenance and servicing of complex systems
- Definition of exact procedures for emergencies to ensure high availability
- Holding exercises to ensure practical implementation at all times and even with high staff turnover (black-out)
Electricity and heat suppliers, distribution grid operators
- Definition of structures and responsibilities for widely distributed locations without their own staff
- Setting priorities for locations
- Definition of work processes for complex and/or outdated machines and systems
- Ensuring optimal maintenance to avoid breakdowns
- Ensuring the availability of spare parts
Industry and public bodies
- Identification and documentation of potential electrotechnical risks in relation to business continuity
- Ensuring that all risks with a high probability of occurrence have also been included in the risk assessment and the BC strategy.
- Comparison with the existing BC strategy
- Proposals for technical and organizational measures to minimize risk
Do you need support in the area of business continuity?
Would you like to reliably secure your energy supply, technical systems, and organizational processes and remain operational even in exceptional situations? Our experts provide you with practical support and a deep understanding of electrical engineering risks and critical processes. ITW Schindler helps you to strengthen operational continuity from an electrical engineering and organizational perspective.
Anja Böpple
Customer Relationship Manager
