Business Continuity Planner

Q&A with an ALTA Contractor*

ALTA IT: What drew you to this career?

Contractor: I have always been a ‘tech guy’, so it was a mix of passion and skills that drew me to this career path. Understanding the project, requirements and all the technical elements associated with it; and getting them translated to a working product gives me a sense of satisfaction and accomplishment. As I further developed my abilities, I grew into the BCDR space as I find myself more aligned to it.

ALTA IT: How did you find your way to where you are today? Share a little about your professional journey.

Contractor: Given my interest in the field of InfoTech, I started working as a Business Analyst and operated in several industries such as Banking, eCommerce, Manufacturing etc. and gained knowledge of how each industry works. I learned several technologies and methodologies working in the field, while simultaneously studying for MBA and MS-IT degrees full-time. Eventually, due to my affinity to Agile Scrum methodology, I evolved into Scrum Master / Product Owner and Team Coach roles. Finally, I got a change to learn about Cloud and Disaster Recovery in detail and have been providing strategic imperatives for corporate survival since.

ALTA IT: What are some challenges you face in your industry?

Contractor: IT is an ever-growing industry, there is always something new to learn; even in the disciplines that you have been working in for years. It’s all about innovation and keeping yourself updated. That’s the biggest challenge in the field, making sure you are giving your best at the current role and learning new tools of the trade as well. Skill of time-management can be crucial and hard to master.

ALTA IT: What do you love about your career?

Contractor: Everything, that’s why I chose it as a career. Especially, meeting and working with intelligent people who always teaches you new things such as industry best practices, leadership skills, new technologies etc. From the very first moment, IT has always offered me the chance to learn something new and develop myself; and it keeps on giving.

ALTA IT: What additional education or certification is required/recommended?

Contractor: As I mentioned before, there is always something to learn in this field. For the BAs, I’d suggest getting certified in Scrum, whether it’s scrum master or product owner. It’ll also be beneficial to get certified in AWS, Azure or GCP if you want to grow on technical side as a BSA. Ultimately, PMP should be the goal for Analysts.

ALTA IT: Any advice for people looking to get into this field?

Contractor: This field is very welcoming and open. You do not need special education or certifications to get into it. If you are intrigued about technology and know how it works, you should get into this field. Whether you are coming from the management field or technical, IT has a role for you to grow into. Go to YouTube and start seeing what people in different job roles do, learn a thing or two and take it from there. There is no limit on how much you can learn.

*This contractor has been an ALTA employee for just under five years, and currently works at one of the Largest Greater Cincinnati Banks.

Job Outlook

The overall job outlook for Business Continuity Planner careers has been positive since 2019; vacancies for this career have increased by 12.9 % nationwide (Recruiter.com).

Pay Outlook

An entry-level Business Continuity Planner will normally get a pay level of around $40,000 to $50,000. At senior-level, the range is typically $100,000 to $140,000, depending on tenure and industry expertise. The national average salary for a Business Continuity Planner is $87,566 in United States (Glassdoor).