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Enterprise Risk Management

IT MANAGEMENT

Author

Amaana

Date

10/22/2019

Risk is a part of every business, and there is no business where risk is not involved. Though the intensity of the risks can vary, risks are inevitable. Since the business environment is dynamic, there is always uncertainty that follows.There are opportunities, as well as threats that bind a business environment.

Knowing where you stand in the competitive world is quite important for ensuring the stability of your business, and it also tells you what are the possible threats or risks that you might face. Be it a small scale business or a full-fledged business house, be prepared for the uncertain events.

A business doesn’t stand the chance of profit until and unless it takes risks. The greater the risk, the more chances for the business to grow, but the risks should not overpower the operations. Amidst all the chaos, an efficient risk management framework is what you need.

Risk management is the no.1 priority when it comes to taking care of business organizations and keeping things in control. The dynamic environment of business always puts the organization on a lookout for risks. Knowing what to be done, how to be done and when to be done should be addressed for the unexpected risks that might arise in a business and accurate risk management assures that nothing is left behind, untouched.

WHAT IS RISK MANAGEMENT?

Foreseeing things or prepping for the future is crucial. Missing out on what your business beholds can sometimes lead to a huge loss or unrecoverable damage. Finding and acknowledging the risks in a business for a smoother functioning is inevitable.

The Risk management process facilitates the organization to prepare for the unexpected shifts and changes by minimizing the risks and extra costs that may arise, beforehand. It is the process of identification and assessment of a business environment to control the earnings and capital of the organization.

With risk, itself being an uncertainty, having greater control over the risks is a sign of an efficient manager and better outcomes follow. Harmful or unexpected events can cost money and sometimes the entire business too.

An efficient management is also one of the biggest risks when the challenges are not identified. Another common problem is the allocation of resources. Allocation of resources is one of the difficulties during risk management as resources get carried away for the management of risks putting other profitable activities in question. But, an absolute risk management plan brings down the use of resources and manpower; it also reduces the negative effects of risks.

With risk, itself being an uncertainty, having a greater control over the risks is a sign of an efficient manager and better outcomes follow. Risk managers are the best options to take as they can work out the best strategies and plans for the threats and uncertainties for a business.

EFFECTIVE RISK MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES

Different approaches and strategies can be used for the risk management process. It can either be a detailed definition of what, where, how and a straight-up solution or an in-depth observation and plans to overcome the threat. Either way, there has to be a final solution and as a manager, one should be prepared to face off the challenges the business will face.

Knowing your business and the risks that might be rooted is important to find an absolute solution. Here is a thread of risk management strategies that can assist your business in the long run.

Identify the risk

Internal or external, risks have to be identified from their sources among the wide range of possibilities. Identification of risks forehand on a high-level analysis based on daily activities and business strategy. Be it financial, operational, technological or every other, risks have to be considered under each department and section.

Keeping it simple, you can begin with asking questions like are all your employees trained properly?, how would you handle the business, if something went down and things get complicated?, is there employee welfare or are your employees unhappy that they might leave?, etc. Such insightful questions are the first step to an efficient identification of risks.

While in the lookout for risks, keep all the chances open for their happening. Do not keep the probability of the risks not happening; that can bring in a loss. Never miss out even on the tiny details that might challenge your business. Internal research helps in identifying the risks that might arise within the organization.

Know what your customer’s complaints are just like knowing employee grievances. Modals and software for technological and business strategies are another way of getting things in place.

Analyze the risk

Risk analysis is a deeper strategy than the identification of risks. Once the potential risks are identified, estimation of the probability of the risks happening has to be taken. Detailed information needs to be drawn to analyzing the risks.

Risk analysis is a complex strategy, helping in the anticipation and neutralization of possible risks. An efficient analysis of the risk helps in deciding whether or not a project should be taken up. Analyzing the risks portrays the effects and outcomes each risk will have on the functions, consumers, employees and the company as a whole, giving a wider perspective on things.

Evaluate the risk

Determining the magnitude of the risk or prioritizing risks is one of the major steps in risk management strategies. Which risk has the probability of occurring first and which will have a greater impact – setting a hierarchy for the risk is what will pave the way for a better and efficient solution as one needs to prepare for the outcome and must be able to fix it immediately.

Evaluating the business environment is what stands crucial as one needs to know where a risk management plan is essential. Time and energy need to be invested in the evaluation process to ensure that the ends justify the means. After a thorough assessment of the efficiency of business activities, possible changes can be made to get the desired results.

The evaluation process is time- consuming and takes up much of human effort. It is always to be noted that the analysis and evaluation be done at every stage or it can lead to a huge loss of time, effort and money.

Treat the risk

Treatment of the risk follows after the planning, analysis, and evaluation. How you treat the risk is what will determine how successful you are as a risk manager and how efficient your business will run.

Treating the risk can be done in four ways – avoid, reduce, transfer and accept – avoiding the activities that can cause the risk, Reducing the intensity of the action that can cause the risk, transferring the action to a second or third party or accepting the risk as it is for profit.

Monitor the risk

Once the risks are identified and treated, there is an inevitable need to monitor the same. A business should always be aware of the status of the risks in a business.

Identification, analysis, evaluation, treatment, and monitoring of risk is the methodology of risk management and the intensity and tools can differ according to the organization or situation.

ENTERPRISE RISK MANAGEMENT

Enterprise Risk Management is the identification of business hazards, organizing, and preparing for the same. Binding to the objectives and operations of a business, the risks of a business are classified for action. Since potential dangers are a part of modern business, risk mapping has to be done to determine the threats that might jeopardize the business functioning and to set controls.

Apart from developing a risk treatment plan, the enterprise risk management process also allocates AI technologies to automate the manual processes that are inactive and inefficient. Monitoring and measurement of the risk management process are also important, which is rightly served by Enterprise Risk Management.

IT RISK MANAGEMENT

IT is something that runs far and wide with deeper interference in day to day activities. The world of Information Technology, to a great extent, is what binds almost everything. This brings in the highest levels of uncertainties and risks to an ever-changing environment. Managing risks in IT is not a piece of cake as the challenges are quite unique in the field. IT needs smart risk management tools and efficient risk management solutions.

The challenges in the field include the up gradation and change in technology, finding people with training expertise and great work ethics, etc. The best risk management framework for the IT arena is to follow the 5 step strategy – Identity, Analyze, Evaluate, Treat and Monitor. An early and regular identification and evaluation of the challenges that might arise help in resolving the issues effectively. Avoidance, Mitigation, Transferring, and Acceptance is the best way to treat the same.

IT is not just a professional field. IT takes up a major part of personal lives too. This gives more importance to the IT risk management plan as the denial or delay in facing the challenges could lead to severe outcomes.

OPERATIONAL RISK MANAGEMENT

A business environment is never stable and every business undergoes change during their course and these changes are what determines their growth. Throughout the changes, the business is also bound to face challenges that can be smooth like a breeze or tough enough to question the very existence of the business.

Crisis management, business continuity plans, people-related risks, process systems, health, safety, etc are captured under the operational risks. Operational risks arise from the failed internal processes or people or external events that lead the business to a loss.

The Operational risk management plan is based on three fundamentals – in-depth, deliberate and time-critical. Based on these, risk identification, risk assessment, measurement and mitigation, and monitoring and reporting are carried out.

Operational Risk Management increases the reliability of business activities and strengthens the decision making processes. With lower compliance costs and early detection of unlawful activities, Operational Risk Management protects the business from potential risk damage in the future.

FINANCIAL RISK MANAGEMENT

Risks revolve around finance and there is always a heightened number of challenges that business has to face when it comes to financial operations. Market risk, credit risk, inflation risk, liquidity risk, shape risk, sector risk, legal risk, and the categories are never-ending. Costs or Finance are the roots of a business and there are only chances of growing risks. Since the financial markets are never stable or perfect, a business needs to ensure that its operations should always increase the shareholder value.

Financial risk management is necessary for investment decisions. One wrong move and everything goes down the drain. Since risk and return are inseparable, the risks involved are ascertained by checking the average ROI and the average standard deviation of the period. This criterion brings out a numerical result, based on which investments are made. If the results are in their favor, they invest. With a solid comprehension of the risks and its variants, the investors can foresee the opportunities and trade-offs along with the costs.

Loss is always painful, be it in IT or finance and there is so much happiness in profit. To a great extent, businesses can control their losses and profits if the right risk management framework is laid out.

Efficient managers with risk management certification are what a business needs for ensuring that they don’t fall back or gets cut short in the long run. Knowing your weaknesses or challenges that might arise in your business environment is the key to a successful business operation. Outcomes can be minor or severe but being able to handle the risk before it gobbles up the situation is where the risk management process succeeds.

It is not about having sophisticated and top-notch technology or the most qualified workforce. It is always about knowing what fits where and how things are done. Sometimes, due to lack of keen observance, all the hard work and money gets wasted as the business was not efficient enough to face even the tiniest of risks. Such situations can bid farewell with a detailed and in-depth risk management strategy and framework, which will assure that opportunities are taken and threats are cut out.

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