Putting off business continuity planning (BCP) because business is slow increases the chances that your business won't survive a disruption. Here are some things to tell your management to get the BCP ball rolling.

According to AT&T's 2008 Business Continuity Study, more than 75 percent of American companies have a business continuity plan (BCP) in place, with the largest enterprises leading the way at 88 percent and the smallest (100 employees or fewer) at 75 percent. These percentages are significantly higher than just four years ago, according to the same study.

Although more companies than ever have continuity plans, the AT&T study discovered that a high percentage of those plans are outdated, perhaps reflecting a reluctance to invest during these uncertain economic times. More than half had not fully tested their plans in the last 12 months, even though they had experienced some sort of change that warranted an update.

If your company is one of those with an outdated plan or no plan, and if your management resists investing in one because business is slow, here are some things that might help them understand the importance of good continuity planning.