Based on a Nationwide Insurance survey, approximately 75% of small-to-medium-sized businesses do not have a disaster plan. If you currently have zero prep strategies in place, the chances of you closing your doors and not opening them up after severe damage are high.
The first lesson of disaster prep is to be ready BEFORE it strikes. Vision Computer Solutions has developed a plan for clients to avoid luck as a strategy. Here are your smarter tips for better disaster prep.
1) Talk to your IT Management About Performing Regular and Remote Backups
In the circumstance of a down power line in your area or damage to a power grid to your physical office space, a trustworthy and redundant backup could save your business.
Remote off-site backups are often stored in locations far, far away to account for the possibility of regional disasters. Virtualization essentially provides your business with a fully operational alternative location.
2) Know When Your Employees Should Stay Home
Suffering the loss of your business space could cost you – but employee downtime could be even worse. Outline a remote plan that doesn’t paralyze your workflow through the day. Suffering a loss in productivity could be twice as devastating as revenue. You’d be surprised how productive your employees can be in the comfort of their own home
3) Make Your Company Data Accessible to the Right People
Investing in the cloud and synced fileboxes such as SharePoint to host your organization’s documents provides a safe vessel for storage that’s accessible to the right people. In the event that there are travel restrictions and your employees are home, they have every piece of information they need. Your employees will feel empowered when they have the right tools do their job.
4) Keep a Detailed Inventory
Be sure to having a living document that has a record of all assets in your building, including equipment. Take valuable contents and store them in a place that is safe. Detailed records will allow fast and easy replacement of physical possessions that end up as a victim of the disaster.
5) Don’t Be Afraid to Show Off Your Disaster Prep Plan
Once you’ve outlined the before, during, and post-recovery phases to your disaster preparation plan – it’s time to boast. The disaster prep plan is something many organizations have yet to master. Be repetitive in your planning and this aspect of your business could be a differentiator when talking to prospective clients or keeping current ones.
