What is the primary goal of business continuity planning?

The primary goal of business continuity planning is to ensure that operations can continue during disruptions. This involves establishing procedures and policies that allow an organization to maintain essential functions despite adverse conditions such as natural disasters, cyberattacks, or other unexpected events. By having a solid business continuity plan in place, organizations can minimize downtime, protect critical assets, and maintain service delivery to customers, thereby safeguarding their reputation and supporting recovery efforts.

The other options do not align with the main objective of business continuity planning. Eliminating all potential risks is unrealistic, as it is impossible to foresee or mitigate every possible threat. Focusing solely on enhancing financial performance ignores the broader scope of continuity planning, which encompasses operational resilience and risk management. Avoiding engagement with external regulatory bodies can lead to non-compliance with relevant laws and standards, which may further jeopardize an organization's stability and continuity. Thus, ensuring operations can continue during disruptions is the central aim that unifies these efforts in business continuity planning.