Okay, here’s a thought…after a disaster 1 in 4 companies will never recover. Their business will cease to exist; it will shuffle off this mortal coil; it will be an “ex-business”.
Obviously the idea is to stay in business and emerge from any interruption with the self-satisfied grin of someone who has prevailed in the face of adversity. The big question is how do we achieve that ideal?
I think, and I’m hopeful people will agree, that the most important thing is to prepare for and have a disaster recovery plan in place. Not just your business, but also your family and even your community. The problem, as I see it, is that there are lots of different ideas regarding what constitutes being prepared and quite honestly, the idea can seem a bit daunting. Where do you start? How do you put it down on paper in a coherent fashion as part of your comprehensive disaster recovery plan? Oh, and by the way disaster recovery is NOT just IT, so take that way of thinking, and lock it in a darkened room somewhere.
In the interest of prompting discussion and/or thought, let’s throw some ideas around. I, along with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), would suggest that there are three simple, but, important steps:
1. Plan to stay in business
- Start with the basics and keep it simple, look at how your company currently functions and which of those functions it cannot do without.
- Identify potential disasters, plan accordingly, and look at everything from server/network failures, to power outages, floods or hurricanes (or whatever obnoxious weather you get in your particular corner of the country). Even look at complete loss situations like fires.
- Consider financial disasters. What will happen if you face a lawsuit? How will you recover?
- How and where will you get your employees back to work if your building is inaccessible (or flat out no longer there)?
2. Talk to your employees
- Encourage them to think about and plan for their families during a disaster.
- Make brain-storming a part of the planning process and include staff from all levels of your business.
- Identify the key people in your organization who will play a vital role in any recovery, and make sure they know what to do.
- Use drills and exercises to test your recovery plan, make sure that it works, and that each person is capable of fulfilling their role.
- Put some kind of contact plan in place. How will you communicate with your people when the phones and internet go down?
3. Protect your investment
- Make sure you have a contingency for utility interruptions.
- Implement a security plan for your buildings and satellite locations.
- Talk to your vendors about their recovery plans and work together to ensure mutual survival.
- Make sure your insurance coverage extends to all manner of disasters, especially natural ones, and will cover you for recovery costs.
I realize that this is hardly a comprehensive list. I do, however, think it is a good starting point for those of you who are new to disaster recovery planning or are feeling rather overwhelmed by the whole thing. Even for those of you who have been doing this for a number of years I hope this will give you something to think about the next time you cast a critical eye over your plans.
If you would like more information, ideas, and/or checklists to help in your disaster recovery planning, please have a look through the resources available on our website or visit Ready.gov. Alternatively, you can call us on 1.877.364.9393 and ask to speak to one of our consultants about the Roadmap to Recovery.
In support of National Preparedness Month Agility is hosting free webinars throughout the month of September and we have an outstanding lineup of nationally recognized speakers. Join us next Wednesday 9/2 for Business Preparedness – Simple Steps to Ensure Continuity with guest speaker Rebecca Marquez, Acting Director of the Ready Campaign from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. You won’t want to miss it!
- Ben Pritchard
Agility Recovery Solutions
Agility Disaster Recovery & Business Continuity Solutions
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