Disaster Proof your Business
A disaster can mean many things to different people, but it doesn't need to be the end of your business. Whether you're a solo operator, or a medium sized company; here are ten tips to help you survive a disaster in your business:
1. Think Ahead
Identify different potential disaster scenarios, and understand what each of them mean for your business. For example, what happens if a power surge takes out all your plugged in electronic equipment? What if there is a theft? What if the building catches on fire? What if your premises are ok, but you can't get access to them for reasons out of your control?
2. Plan to survive
To address each of the potential scenarios above (and more!), clearly document a Disaster Recovery Plan. This plan, at a minimum, should cover (1) who will be communicated to and when, (2) what steps are required to get systems and data/information back to being available, and (3) how the business will operate during the disaster.
3. Who ya gonna call?
Have a communications register of all significant parties to your business; including phone companies, suppliers, clients, staff, partners, landlords, insurance companies, etc. This register should not only include the name, phone number, email, website, and address of these related parties, but also any account numbers or identifiers you will need when contacting them. Make sure this is available to you 24x7. It could be stored online or even on a USB stick attached to your keyring.
4. Call me!
Consider a business class telephone service which has a quick recovery time or redirect service available. If your phone is out and cannot be redirected; you need to give your clients a way to contact you.
5. Save it for a rainy day
Be able to financially survive the disaster. Take out insurance appropriate for your business. You should have sufficient insurance to cover not just replacing your core business assets, but enough to get your business back on its feet. Also, life, total-and-permanent-disability (TPD), and income protection insurance will provide for your family if you are no longer able to. Lastly, have enough cash in the bank to survive until other means of financial support is received, such as collecting outstanding invoices or receiving an insurance payout.
6. Paper burns
Scan all important paper documents. The scanning and electronic filing of paper-based contracts, receipts, and client-related documents should be completed upon receipt and factored into your regular business processes. When documents are stored electronically in a Document Management System; questions of who has it, and where it is in the overall business workflow, is no longer in doubt. Also, it is much easier to share these electronic copies between staff and outsource providers, than it is with their hardcopy originals.
7. Is this seat taken?
Have somewhere else you can work from. If your primary work location is unavailable, make sure you have alternative business premises; say at a serviced office, a partner business, or even at an accommodating friend's.
8. Don't put all your eggs in one electronic basket
Create an automated backup system; and never store backups in the same location as where you use it. If you have data stored on two hard-drives, a primary and a backup, but they are stored right next to each other; a building fire or theft will leave you no better a state than having no backups at all.
9. Take both the high road, and the low road
Have access to alternate internet connections. If your home/small office internet connection is unavailable for any length of time, have or know where you can get access to the internet (internet cafe or wireless access) to reply to email and progress critical business processes. Keep in mind that a lot of modern 3G mobile telephones can also be connected to a PC/laptop to provide internet access.
10. One in, all in
You are only as disaster proofed as your suppliers. Ask the questions of your service providers - how do they handle disaster scenarios? Will there be any downtimes which affect your clients directly? Is there any manual involvement required by you to get back on track? How will they contact you? Understand not only how they will survive in a disaster, but how it will it impact your business.
So, what strategies do have in place to survive a disaster?
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