Protect your business continuity with a disaster plan
Business continuity and disaster planning go hand in hand. When preparing for disasters, business owners generally think of emergency numbers, evacuation plans, and insurance issues. But what about the technology in your offices? Do you have a plan to preserve important printed and structural materials? Do you know the technological risk of your company?
Technological risk assessment
The first step in assessing a company’s technology risk is to create inventories of computers, software, and other electronic items that may need programming. After a disaster, applications and hardware may need to be reinstalled and replaced. Having a list of hardware, legal licenses, applications, and software can help a business create recovery budgets.
Your inventory spreadsheet may include information such as: name / type of electronic equipment; who uses it (for example: the CEO’s desktop); equipment rental, RAM; the speed of the processor; the operating system (for example: Linux, Windows, Apple, etc.); disk size; server information; date and place where the item was purchased; and accompanying hardware.
Risk assessment of printed and structural materials
Evaluate what can be done to prevent a disaster in your offices. Many business owners plan for major natural disasters, but they don’t prevent more common mishaps like fires, water leaks, and mold damage.
Think about what printed materials would devastate your business if lost. These documents can include deeds, client files, architectural plans, models, tax documents, X-rays, photographs, etc. Put these documents in a safe place (perhaps off-site).
Also, identify the hazards in your workplace. Are candles allowed? Are the fire extinguishers in plain sight? Are there leaky windows or puddles outside the building? Is the office winterized so the water pipes running overhead don’t break from freezing temperatures?
Backups
All companies must back up data at regular intervals. There are many ways to do it: on CD or DVD, on an external hard drive, or even online. Many companies even keep backup storage off-site in the event of an office fire.
When planning data backups, think about: What information is the most important to keep? How often will this information need to be backed up? How long will you keep electronic files? If a file is lost, can it be quickly recovered?
Don’t forget disaster recovery planning
No matter how well prepared you are, sometimes disasters happen. Designate a backup workplace in case the office becomes uninhabitable. Disaster planning should also include plans for getting back on your feet. How long will it take to be operational again? Where will all the equipment, new or old, be installed after a disaster?
Have the contact information for a disaster restoration specialist on your list of important business numbers. These professionals will help ensure repair work is done right the first time so secondary problems (like water damage mold) don’t show up later. Document restoration specialists can help businesses get back to work quickly. Specialists can restore items such as photographs, books or documents, and even X-rays.
It’s not pleasant to think of worst-case scenarios when it comes to planning for the future of a business. However, when it comes to business continuity, not thinking about planning for the worst is silly. Protect Your Business Assets – Prepare For Technology Disasters.
~ Flora Richards-Gustafson, 2009