More and more firms are considering adopting a business continuity plan as part of a holistic approach to their overall business development, a leading IT expert has suggested.

A survey conducted at last year's IDC Business Continuity, Storage, and Security Conference found that - as well as security concerns - centralisation, compliance, and the requirement for 24/7 system availability were increasingly becoming key drivers for firms to adopt a business continuity plan.

In recognition of that, IDC has announced that it will be running a new conference this year, Business Continuity for Competitive Advantage, in order to meet the growing trend for firms to initiate such plans as a way to streamline their services and maximise their functionality.

"Business continuity is further up the corporate agenda than it has ever been and is no longer being viewed as a necessary burden but as an opportunity to increase productivity, retain customers, and gain revenue," commented Martin Hingley, research vice-president at IDC.

At IDC'S 2006 Business Continuity, Storage, and Security Conference, 80 per cent of attendees reported that their overall IT budget was likely to grow throughout the course of 2007, with all reporting that business continuity planning was set to be part of this expansion.

According to recent survey by Connect, the two biggest IT headaches for businesses were 'everyday hassles with IT' (37 per cent) and 'security concerns' (32 per cent)