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Count
Most organisations have a manageable number of IBS.
Importantbusinessservices
Identify and prioritise what matters most.
Learn how to determine important business services (IBS), map their dependencies, and embed them into operational resilience planning for regulated and non-regulated teams alike.
What are important business services?
Important business services (IBS) are the customer-facing or market-facing services whose disruption would cause intolerable harm. They anchor resilience planning.
Map
Action
Map processes, technology, people, and vendors supporting each service.
Owner
Accountability
Assign accountable executives for every service.
WHY IT MATTERS
Why identifying important services is foundational
Focuses effort. Teams prioritise the services that matter most to customers and regulators, so budgets aren’t wasted on low-impact work.
Enables measurement. Impact tolerances, continuity plans, and KPIs stem from a clear list of services.
Improves communication. Service owners collaborate better when roles are explicit, and service cards give leadership simple talking points.
IDENTIFICATION
How to identify important business services
- Use customer criteria Consider services that deliver core outcomes or obligations.
- Assess harm Evaluate potential customer, financial, operational, and legal impact.
- Validate with leadership Align the final list with executive committees and regulators if applicable.
CADENCE
How to document and maintain IBS
- Create service dossiers Document descriptions, owners, dependencies, systems, and vendors so everyone uses the same facts.
- Link tolerances Attach impact tolerances, continuity plans, and scenario tests to each service for quick reference.
- Review annually Update IBS lists after product launches, acquisitions, or regulatory changes so the list stays current.
- Share dashboards Provide leadership with status, risks, and remediation progress per service to keep support high.
Important service quick wins
Run a workshop
Gather product, operations, and risk leaders to shortlist services.
Use scoring models
Score services against harm, volume, and regulatory importance.
Publish service cards
Create one-pagers summarising each IBS for quick reference.
IMPORTANT SERVICES GLOSSARY SNAPSHOT
Important services glossary snapshot
Important business service (IBS). A service whose disruption would cause intolerable harm.
Service map. Visual or tabular representation of a service and its dependencies.
Critical customer outcome. The result customers expect from the service.
FAQS
Important business services FAQs
How many important business services should we have?
Only as many as genuinely drive intolerable harm—most organisations document fewer than twenty.
Who approves the list?
Executive committees or boards typically approve the list, often influenced by regulatory guidance.
How detailed should service maps be?
Document major processes, systems, data, vendors, and people—not every task. Detail can grow over time.
Do services change over time?
Yes; review after new launches, restructures, or M&A.
Drova RunReady stores service inventories, tolerances, and owners together for fast action.
Ready to map your important business services?
GRC 101 HUB
Explore related topics
Operational resilience hub
See how IBS fit into the resilience lifecycle.
Impact tolerance guide
Set thresholds for each IBS.
Scenario testing
Test IBS under severe events.
Business continuity
Align continuity plans to each service.
Operational resilience strategy
Prioritise IBS workstreams in the roadmap.
DORA overview
Understand EU requirements for documenting IBS.
