Business continuity efforts are a primary enterprise concern, but for companies with numerous branch offices, the needs of the overarching firm may not be the same at local offices. As such, branches need to develop their own business continuity plan that incorporates the unique concerns they face due to location, service provider and other potential risks.

According to InformationWeek's NetworkComputing, continuity and connectivity is essential for distributed enterprises, and new technologies may serve to benefit branches that their parents office may not have adopted yet. This supports the need for local offices to deploy disaster recovery efforts above and beyond those implemented by the business as a whole, possibly investing in business impact analysis for their specific location.

With a broad number of factors weighing on business continuity, from local weather to the technology at use in the office, balancing cost of operations with continuity planning is tricky on a small scale. An overarching strategy will likely take data recovery, loss prevention and repair needs into consideration, but individual employee demands, the unique technology a branch might deploy for advanced IT purposes such as mobility and other issues will change from location to location. Branch offices need to consider developing a localized strategy to be put into play alongside the official continuity of operations plan, especially when they have smaller workforces to deal with. The less employees being considered the easier it is for a firm to adapt, implementing remote access tools, mobile strategies or other efforts that can improve disaster recovery success.

Ultimately, firms will need to balance their local needs with overall company strategy compliance, and ensure the two align. Hiring a continuity consultant can ensure success in both aspects of protection and help an office quickly defend itself from every crisis that is likely to occur.