AtlasPay Business Continuity Plan & Risk Profile

Complete BCP and organizational risk profile for a simulated FinTech payment processor, NIST-aligned, executive-ready, governance-focused.

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What This Demonstrates

Capability	Details
Framework Alignment	NIST SP 800-34 Rev. 1, NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5
Methodology	Business Impact Analysis (BIA), RTO/RPO modeling
Deliverables	BCP document, risk profile, criticality matrix, dependency map
Stakeholder Focus	Executive decision-making, operational resilience, audit readiness
Industry Relevance	FinTech, payment processing, regulated industries

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Overview

This project documents a complete Business Continuity Plan (BCP) and Organizational Risk Profile for AtlasPay, a simulated FinTech payment processing organization. The objective was to evaluate operational resilience, identify critical business functions, define recovery priorities, and establish a governance-aligned continuity strategy.

Rather than focusing solely on IT recovery, this work emphasizes business impact, process dependencies, and risk-informed continuity planning, mirroring real-world GRC consulting deliverables.

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Deliverables

Artifact	Purpose	Audience
Business Continuity Plan	Full BCP aligned with NIST SP 800-34	Operations, leadership
Organizational Risk Profile	Consolidated view of operational/security risks	Risk owners, C-suite
Business Impact Analysis	Critical process identification, RTO/RPO definitions	Business unit leaders
Dependency Map	Systems, vendors, personnel dependencies	IT, procurement
Continuity Strategies	Recovery procedures with governance structure	Operations team
Executive Summary	Governance and oversight briefing	Board, stakeholders

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Key Features

• ✅ NIST-Aligned Structure, SP 800-34 Rev. 1 contingency planning guide
• ✅ Business-Focused Language, Accessible to non-technical executives
• ✅ RTO/RPO Definitions, Recovery time and point objectives per function
• ✅ Dependency Mapping, Cross-system, vendor, personnel dependencies
• ✅ Quantitative Risk Scoring, Operational, security, third-party risks
• ✅ Governance Structure, Roles, responsibilities, escalation pathways

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BCP Structure (NIST SP 800-34 Aligned)

1. Executive Summary
   └─→ Continuity objectives, scope, governance

2. Business Impact Analysis
   └─→ Critical functions, RTO/RPO, impact thresholds

3. Risk Profile
   └─→ Operational, security, third-party risks

4. Continuity Strategies
   └─→ Recovery procedures, alternate sites, backups

5. Communication Plan
   └─→ Notification trees, stakeholder updates

6. Roles & Responsibilities
   └─→ Crisis leadership, recovery teams, escalation

7. Testing & Exercises
   └─→ Tabletop schedules, after-action reporting

8. Maintenance & Updates
   └─→ Review cycles, change management

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Business Impact Analysis Methodology

Step	Description
1. Identify Critical Functions	Payment processing, customer support, settlement, compliance
2. Define Impact Types	Financial, operational, reputational, regulatory
3. Establish Impact Thresholds	Hourly, daily, weekly impact escalation
4. Assign RTO/RPO	Recovery time and data loss tolerance
5. Map Dependencies	Systems, vendors, personnel required
6. Prioritize Recovery	Tier 1 (critical) → Tier 3 (deferrable)

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Sample RTO/RPO Definitions

Function	Tier	RTO	RPO	Impact if Exceeded
Payment Processing	Tier 1	4 hours	15 minutes	Transaction failure, revenue loss
Customer Support	Tier 2	24 hours	4 hours	Customer dissatisfaction
Financial Reporting	Tier 2	48 hours	24 hours	Compliance delay
HR Systems	Tier 3	7 days	7 days	Minimal operational impact

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Risk Profile Scoring Model

Risk Category	Examples	Scoring Method
Operational	System failures, staffing gaps, vendor outages	Impact × Likelihood (5×5)
Security	Data breaches, unauthorized access, malware	Inherent/residual risk scoring
Third-Party	Vendor dependency, contract gaps, SLA failures	Criticality × Vendor risk rating

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Dependency Mapping

Dependency Type	Examples	Single Point of Failure?	Mitigation
Systems	Payment gateway, database, cloud provider	Yes (gateway)	Redundant gateway provider
Vendors	Card networks, banking partners, hosting	Yes (card networks)	Multi-network support
Personnel	Key roles, specialized skills	Yes (CISO, lead dev)	Cross-training, documentation

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Why the Risk Profile Matters

The Risk Profile provides a consolidated view of operational and security risks that could disrupt critical business functions. When paired with the BCP, it enables leadership to understand:

• Which risks most threaten continuity (not just what could go wrong)
• Where mitigation investments matter most (priority resource allocation)
• How recovery strategies align with risk exposure (resilience planning)

This integration elevates continuity planning from a compliance exercise to a strategic resilience function.

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Value to GRC Consulting

This project demonstrates client-ready deliverables for:

Service	Application
Business Continuity Planning	Full BCP development, BIA facilitation, RTO/RPO workshops
Operational Resilience	Dependency mapping, critical function identification
Third-Party Risk	Vendor continuity assessment, SLA review
Audit Readiness	NIST alignment, governance documentation, testing evidence

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Tools & Frameworks

Tool/Framework	Use
Microsoft Word	BCP documentation, process analysis
Microsoft Excel	Risk profile scoring, criticality matrix
NIST SP 800-34 Rev. 1	Contingency planning guide
NIST SP 800-53 Rev. 5	Control alignment for continuity
BIA Methodology	Business impact analysis framework

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Key Takeaways

1. Continuity = Business Impact, Not Just IT Recovery, Focus on functions, not systems
2. Clear RTO/RPO Drives Realistic Expectations, No ambiguity on recovery priorities
3. Dependencies Are the Hidden Risk, Third-party and personnel gaps often overlooked
4. Strong BCP = Governance + Actionable Procedures, Both structure and execution

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Growth & Next Iterations

Future enhancements:

• Integration with GRC platforms for automated continuity tracking
• Tabletop exercise documentation and after-action reporting
• Expanded vendor dependency analysis
• Disaster recovery (DR) technical runbooks

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Video Walkthrough

Embedded walkthrough video coming soon

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License

This project is for educational and portfolio demonstration purposes. Organizations may adapt the methodology for internal use.