Whether an organization had a business continuity plan or not, it has certainly invoked at least parts of a plan over prior weeks. To be sure, technology advancements have made the transition to remote working an easier and less disruptive process. We saw teleworking arrangements being signed overnight, equipment being shipped to homes quickly, emergency access provisioned in minutes and two-factor authentication tools provisioned equally fast.

IT & Technology teams across the world have been remarkable in keeping pace with the changes. Our workforce has adapted quickly to working from home (“WFH”) and proving abilities to maintain or surpass productivity. As successful as the transition has been, we soon will return to work and pick up where we left off on our 2020 goals. We will do this all while shifting to our “new normal” and incorporating those things we have learned while “WFH.”

Hopefully, many have already defined their “return to work” processes. If not, now is a good time to review those plans specific to the factors unique to this pandemic incident.

Click here to access a resource of questions

for IT, security, compliance, legal, and human resources teams to consider as workers return to their workplace.

This resource will help start the conversation as your organization prepares for re-entry to the workplace. As you rehearse your return to normal operations, take notes of these lessons learned.  Incorporate them into policies, updates to the business continuity plan, and return to operations plan.  For some, there may even be time to mock-test the plan before the return to work cycle begins.  Practice makes perfect, and practice is intended to identify weaknesses, test new strategies, and integrate learning. This repeated cycle will allow you to identify and possibly reduce risk, and decrease the likelihood of any major disruption or distraction to business. As with any plan, communication is the key to ensuring that each team member knows their role and has an opportunity to ask questions. Nonetheless, if your organization routinely tests its compliance program, you will want to document these steps to get credit for these tests and lessons learned.

For more information on the topic, listen to our Cybersecurity Sense Podcast: