Despite the fact that increasing numbers of UK organisations have implemented business continuity plans, 68% would still take two days or more to become operational after a major disaster.

Research from IP communications provider Mitel reveals that a lack of sophistication is still pervading continuity planning. In the event of physical access to the workplace being denied, 32% of companies say they would simply tell their staff to take the day off. Only 18% would ask staff to log on remotely and just 10% would ask them to continue working from another business location.

The survey highlights a high reliance on mobile phones, with 26% of senior managers saying they would count on being able to communicate with disaster recovery teams using mobile networks when trying to restart the business.

Small businesses leave themselves particularly exposed, but the story for slightly larger businesses – those with a turnover of £20 million or more – is more promising. Two thirds of these companies estimate that they can get their business operational again within 24 hours. They view the increasing availability of broadband in employees’ homes as making post-disaster home-working a more feasible disaster recovery tactic. That will enhanced by the increasing home adoption of IP-based phones.

Among the different industries from which respondents were taken, the retail sector’s business continuity planning emerged as being particularly primitive, with two-thirds of retail IT respondents admitting they would take over 48 hours to get operational again and 28% saying it might take a week.