Whether they are natural or man-made, major disasters receive a great deal of attention from the media, as you might expect. At the same time it is important to note that if you experience a significant business interruption, it will probably be the result of something more mundane such as human error, a power outage, or a failure in the company's computer system.
To prepare for such an unforeseen event, take the time to analyze the way in which your business operates, and focus on those the things that are essential on a day-to-day basis, including service fulfillment, billing, and payroll. Then, consider how they could be restored following a business interruption. For example, suppose that you could not gain access to your building tomorrow morning. Decide what facilities you could use to continue operating in an emergency. This might be a second location, the venue of a related business, help from a vendor offering mobile recovery, or even your home office.
Unfortunately, recent surveys reveal that more than half of the businesses in the United States have no disaster recovery plan in place to ensure their continued operation and future existence. If your company is one of them, consult with your major suppliers and vendors about how they are dealing with this issue, and make a connection with alternate sources in case the services of your primary suppliers are interrupted.
Note that deciding what should be done in the aftermath of a disaster is just as essential as taking steps to prevent one. Your disaster plan, and the means to carry it out, will help to ensure a smooth transition from you usual way of conducting business to responding to an emergency. In today's complex business environment, access to information is crucial, and you will need an automated, 24-hour back-up system to store important data. This should be done off site, at least 50 miles away from your business, in a location that is both safe and secure.
Create a telephone tree for your staff and their emergency contacts, and let your employees know how they can obtain or exchange information if your usual means of communication cannot be used. In addition, compile a directory of your major customers and suppliers, store it at your off site location for backup, and establish a method for contacting them if the worst happens.
Make sure that you have adequate insurance coverage. Depending on the scope and nature of your business, this could include small business insurance, auto insurance, home insurance, and boat insurance. To facilitate the filing of claims, keep equipment lists, photographs of your site, and policy information as your off site location as well. To ensure that your emergency plan is practical, test it on an annual basis and make the necessary updates. Also, when changes to the plan are made, be sure retrain your employees.
To prepare for such an unforeseen event, take the time to analyze the way in which your business operates, and focus on those the things that are essential on a day-to-day basis, including service fulfillment, billing, and payroll. Then, consider how they could be restored following a business interruption. For example, suppose that you could not gain access to your building tomorrow morning. Decide what facilities you could use to continue operating in an emergency. This might be a second location, the venue of a related business, help from a vendor offering mobile recovery, or even your home office.
Unfortunately, recent surveys reveal that more than half of the businesses in the United States have no disaster recovery plan in place to ensure their continued operation and future existence. If your company is one of them, consult with your major suppliers and vendors about how they are dealing with this issue, and make a connection with alternate sources in case the services of your primary suppliers are interrupted.
Note that deciding what should be done in the aftermath of a disaster is just as essential as taking steps to prevent one. Your disaster plan, and the means to carry it out, will help to ensure a smooth transition from you usual way of conducting business to responding to an emergency. In today's complex business environment, access to information is crucial, and you will need an automated, 24-hour back-up system to store important data. This should be done off site, at least 50 miles away from your business, in a location that is both safe and secure.
Create a telephone tree for your staff and their emergency contacts, and let your employees know how they can obtain or exchange information if your usual means of communication cannot be used. In addition, compile a directory of your major customers and suppliers, store it at your off site location for backup, and establish a method for contacting them if the worst happens.
Make sure that you have adequate insurance coverage. Depending on the scope and nature of your business, this could include small business insurance, auto insurance, home insurance, and boat insurance. To facilitate the filing of claims, keep equipment lists, photographs of your site, and policy information as your off site location as well. To ensure that your emergency plan is practical, test it on an annual basis and make the necessary updates. Also, when changes to the plan are made, be sure retrain your employees.
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