The second service involves a workshop session conducted with the members of staff who will be responsible for managing implementation of the plan following a business continuity incident. This usually involves taking key personnel out of the office, away from any distractions, for a two-day workshop exercise, during which we work with them to test the efficacy of the plan against theoretical scenarios. This has the additional advantage of effectively helping the individuals rehearse the plan themselves.

The third level of testing, which is deemed too disruptive by many organisations, but is the ultimate test of any business continuity plan, is to conduct a full-scale business interruption simulation exercise, testing the technical and logistical measures outlined in the plan, including actually passing the IT capability over to back-up systems and transporting staff to back-up office locations.