Floods, fires, cyberattacks, viruses, software malfunctions, and the list of potential disasters and disruptions for companies is long. The only predictable thing about natural, technological, and human-made disasters is that they are going to happen and that downtime is going to be costly. And, the truth of the matter is that everyone experiences the burden of these costs whether it is a business shutting down, lost wages, or an increase in cost of goods. Preparing for these disruptions is essential.
Hiring a business continuity consultant or company is a great start. Unfortunately, many companies see the price tag and decide to take a gamble by not taking steps to protect themselves. But, really if they considered the numbers, they might think again.  According to the National Centers for Environmental Information, the cost of wildfires average $6.5 billion per event, flooding has an average cost $4.6 billion per event, and winter storms average $4.5 billion per event.And in IBM's 2023 Cost of a Data Breach Report, “the average impact of a data breach on organizations with fewer than 500 employees is $3.31 million.”
Clearly, the necessity for business continuity is there, but don’t be fooled – not all methods are equal. In fact, many of them are costly time dumps that don’t make companies any more prepared than before the hours and hours of meetings, data collection, and training.
Founder and CEO of Adaptive BC Solutions and creator of the Ganbatte! BC System, Dr. David Lindstedt, explains how many continuity services work. “Essentially, companies spend countless hours collecting data that the organization and the people that help you get that data will never use, or you will use just a little bit.” He adds that from day one with Adaptive BC Solutions, “We're working immediately with the participants, preparing them to recover from a disaster. Every time we have a meeting, their people are a little more prepared to recover from disaster. We just cut out all the fat.”
Adaptive BC Solutions stands out from the rest in many aspects. First of all, their one-of-a-kind methodology is unique, efficient and effective. It has software to prove it. Dr. Lindstedt shares, “Data isn’t enough and planning isn’t enough. It's about preparing; it’s about capabilities. It’s about getting people ready and ensuring they have the knowledge, training, and resources to do what they need to do.”
Dr. Lindstedt's approach shifts the focus from that endless data collection to practical, real-world readiness. “It was fascinating that no one had figured out a good way to measure business continuity. So I came up with an approach, the only approach I know of that exists to measure preparedness and recoverability.“
He adds, “People are sick of the traditional approach and often come to us to try and think about a new approach. People are also tired of the extensive time business continuity implementations and practice can take.” Dr. Lindstedt explains that not only is his method effective, but it is also efficient. “The time-to-value of our approach versus a traditional approach is eleven to 18 times faster. That's not percent; that's times faster. So, what I argue is that our approach not only makes more sense, it's more engaging, it's more valuable, and it's more meaningful.

 

Dr. Lindstedt’s start in business continuity

Dr. Lindstedt got somewhat steered, or you could call it pushed, into the business continuity industry. Either way, it was fortuitous. With a laugh, he shares, “I was in the wrong place at the wrong time.’’ But if one looks at where he is now, Founder and CEO of Adaptive BC Solutions and software creator, he was right where he needed to be.
At an Ohio State University meeting, they were looking for someone to step up and run an enterprise business continuity program. With his experience in project and portfolio management, they thought, why not David? He went for it with little to no experience, and he explains, “At OSU, there were 60,000 students, 32,000 employees, 500 buildings on five campuses, and I was in charge of their enterprise continuity program for all of that.”
He adds, “We had 250 concurrent groups that were doing, or had done, or were reviewing their business continuity plans. So, I personally have done business continuity planning for everything from centralized IT, steam generation, childcare facilities, a hotel, centralized purchasing, and microbiology; I mean, basically pretty much anything you can think of, I have helped folks get ready to recover it.”
That 360-degree view of industries and departments created the expertise to formulate a cutting-edge business continuity methodology that approaches impending disasters from all angles. “In general, it differs from traditional standard business continuity.” Traditional approaches are all about documentation, but Dr. Lindstedt uses a vastly different approach. “Typically, consultants gather all sorts of statistics and data, requirements, and dependencies, and the business continuity planner can use some of that, but the organization can't. Businesses spend a disproportionate amount of time and money collecting data that the organization and the people implementing the preparedness action plan will never use. It becomes the proverbial binder on a shelf.”
With that in mind, Dr. Lindstedt began creating something beyond theory, from guessing whether a business is ready for a disaster to evidence that they have the capabilities. “Not only did I learn everything I could about business continuity, and then became a published author and speaker on the topic…, but I also taught myself to code so that I could come up with this software. The software is online. I own 100% of the software. It's not on somebody else's platform; it’s coded from the ground up to be business continuity software..”
Dr. Lindstedt’s platform provides businesses with a quantitative measure of progress over time, allowing organizations to gauge their level of preparedness more accurately. They employ scripted situational exercises to explore potential pitfalls, conduct gap analysis, and extract lessons learned. Moreover, the software streamlines the management of the preparedness process, making it a comprehensive and effective solution.
Another essential aspect of Dr. Lindstedt’s methodology is making sure that everyone in the organization not only knows what they have to do in the event of a disaster, but they have practiced it. As Dr. Lindstedt explains, “In the case of a cyber-attack, an expert will come in and make everyone get off their computers, and the communications person will tell everyone not to talk to the press or post anything on social media. But the business continuity expert must ensure that Sally and John in payroll have a plan to step up and keep payroll going.”

 

The business model

Adaptive BC Solutions has a variety of models and services that businesses and companies can choose from to best suit their needs. The model is adaptable and includes several scenarios:

1. Setting up a business continuity program for the first time, possibly for a fixed fee.
2. Helping businesses transition from traditional methods (spreadsheets, Word documents) to adaptive software solutions.
3. Maturing and fine-tuning of existing business continuity programs.
4. Outsourcing the entire business continuity program.
5. Providing additional resources through staff augmentation services.
6. Conducting assessments of critical processes and offering guidance on remediation.

The unique aspect of Dr. Lindstedt’s model is its focus on assessments, particularly in the context of business continuity. Assessments are what are missing from other business continuity services. They are essential to providing a baseline for critical processes and allow for ongoing evaluation and improvement. It’s the assurance a company needs to know instead of thinking they are ready for the next disaster.
Dr. Lindstedt explains business continuity, “It’s a fairly new discipline. Basically, it started with Y2K. People were like, ‘Hey, if we lose all of our computer systems that run everything, what will we do to keep the business running?’ It’s been really interesting to get in on the ground floor of something like that.” And getting on the ground floor means that he has seen pretty much everything there is to see. This 360 view, along with hard work, has provided him with the answers, the tools, and the business model to keep companies from sinking when the storms hit. And as we know, the storms are going to hit.
To learn more, check out Dr. Lindstedt’s books on the topic, Adaptive Business Continuity: A New Approach and Building Resilient Organizations through Change, Chance, and Complexity, or go to the Adaptive BC website.