Core Concepts: Understanding Sohvo

This article introduces the fundamental concepts of Sohvo. Understanding these core components is key to effectively using the tool for your organization's Business Continuity and Risk Management needs.

The Big Picture: How Everything ConnectsSohvo is built around a simple idea: understanding the relationships between your

Key Components Overview

• Risks - Potential threats to your organization

• Processes - Business operations and workflows

• Resources - Assets that support your processes

Risks, Processes, and Resources.

The Dashboard provides a comprehensive overview of your organization's continuity status

• Risks threaten your operations.

• Processes are the critical business operations you need to protect.

• Resources are the assets (people, technology, facilities) required to perform your processes.

By linking these elements together, you can gain powerful insights into your organization's resilience and make informed decisions to improve it.

Key Components Explained

Here is a breakdown of the main components you will work with in the application:

1. Risks

• What they are: Potential events or circumstances that could disrupt your business operations (e.g., "Server Failure," "Key Supplier Outage," "Cyber Attack").

• Why they matter: Identifying and assessing risks is the first step in protecting your organization. By understanding the potential impact and likelihood of each risk, you can prioritize your mitigation efforts.

• Key Attributes:

  • Risk Area: The category the risk belongs to (e.g., Technology, Human Resources, Financial).

  • Severity: The level of impact if the risk occurs.

  • Probability: The likelihood of the risk occurring.

  • Affected Resources: The specific resources that would be impacted if the risk materializes.

2. Processes

• What they are: The essential activities your organization performs to deliver its products or services (e.g., "Process Customer Orders," "Run Payroll," "Manufacture Product X").

• Why they matter: Processes are the lifeblood of your organization. Documenting them, understanding their dependencies, and planning for their recovery is crucial for business continuity.

• Key Attributes:

  • Business Function: The larger organizational function the process belongs to (e.g., Sales, Finance, Manufacturing).

  • RTO (Recovery Time Objective): The maximum acceptable downtime for this process.

  • MTD (Maximum Tolerable Downtime): The absolute maximum time the business can survive without this process.

  • Criticality Score: A numerical rating of how critical the process is to the organization.

  • Needed Resources: The resources required to execute the process.

  • Backup Procedures: Linked processes that serve as a contingency plan.

3. Resources

• What they are: The assets your organization relies on to function. This includes everything from physical hardware to key personnel.

• Why they matter: Your processes cannot run without resources. Cataloging your resources and understanding their capabilities and dependencies is essential for effective recovery planning.

• Key Attributes:

  • Resource Category: The type of resource (e.g., IT System, Facility, Department, Key Personnel).

  • RTO (Recovery Time Objective): The time it takes to recover this resource after a disruption.

  • SLA (Service Level Agreement): Any contractual agreements related to the resource's availability.

  • Maturity: An assessment of the resource's resilience and readiness.

  • Dependencies: Other resources that this resource depends on to function.

Centralized Management: Attributes

To ensure consistency and ease of use, the application provides a centralized Attribute Management section. Here, administrators can define the standard values used in dropdown menus throughout the application, such as:

• Risk Areas

• Severities

• Probabilities

• Resource Categories

• And more...

This centralized approach ensures that all users are working with a consistent set of data, which is vital for accurate reporting and analysis.

By understanding these core concepts, you are now ready to dive deeper into the specific features of the Continuity Planner and begin building your organization's resilience plan.