The smallest version of your company, the vital one, that must keep running. Not a plan. An operating model.
THE PROBLEM
Plans reviewed annually. Documentation signed off, stored securely, independently from core IT. Governance in order.
Run only what matters. Independent from primary systems. Ready before you need it.
THE INSIGHT
YOUR FULL COMPANY
Dozens of systems, hundreds of processes
MINIMUM VITAL COMPANY
Only what must keep running
Minimum Vital Company
Not 100% of operations. Just the irreducible core, defined in advance, built to run independently. That is the Minimum Vital Company.
Vital Activities
Important business services defined at ExCom level as non-negotiable. Not categories. Commitments: “Ensure Critical Payments.” “Ensure People & Site Safety.” Whatever happens, these run.
Critical Processes
Step-by-step procedures that deliver each vital activity, pre-designed and executable without primary IT systems. Every process activated is one less vulnerability when a crisis hits.
Key Data
The specific datasets each process requires to execute. Sourced from your existing systems, stored independently, always kept fresh.
Together, these three layers form the operational core that must remain alive no matter what happens. That core is your AlwaysReady® foundation.
Supported by
COMPARISON
COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS
Most organizations already have continuity plans. The problem is not the plan. When a crisis hits, the plan sits in a folder, the systems are down, and no one knows what to do next. The MVC does not add another document to that folder. It replaces the question “what should we do?” with the ability to actually do it.
The MVC is owned by the business: COO, CFO, Head of Operations. Not because IT is excluded, but because the MVC must function precisely when IT cannot. An execution layer that depends on the systems it is designed to replace is not a backup. It is a risk.
Your BCP identifies which processes matter. The MVC makes them executable. If you have a BCP, you already know what belongs in your MVC. What you likely do not have yet is the ability to execute it.
WHERE TO START
When operations are disrupted, the first question is never strategic. It is operational: can we pay suppliers? Can we process payroll? Treasury is the natural entry point because its processes are cross-functional by design, connecting banks, ERPs, legal entities, and business lines in a single execution chain.
THE THREE PEOPLE YOU NEED
Owns the process. Defines what must run, in what order, with what data.
Owns the infrastructure context. Validates the independent execution architecture.
Sponsors at ExCom level. Defines Vital Activities. Ensures the MVC covers what matters.
TWO PATHS. SAME DESTINATION.
One critical process. One Process Owner. One set of SMEs. Operational in weeks. The scope is defined, the stakeholders are identifiable, the output is immediately testable.
Anchor in your regulatory framework: DORA Article 11, NIS2 Chapter IV, or your internal BCP governance. Vital Activities defined at ExCom. Critical processes mapped by business lines.
Organizations that start pragmatically almost always move to the governed model once the first process is live. The first deployment demonstrates the pattern. The framework makes it repeatable.
BUILT IN ASTRAN
From scoping to go-live in a matter of weeks. The timeline depends on the number of processes, business units involved, data sources, and transformation rules required. The platform handles process design, data sync, access governance, guided execution, and audit trail.
Scope & Map
Design & Configure
Test & Validate
Simulate & Go Live