Get the Perfect Disaster Recovery Plan in Place Right Now!
Businesses are always unpredictable. So whether you are a big business or small, it is essential to stay protected from all the unforeseeable factors, which can range from natural calamities to software attacks. Such disasters are the disruptive events which affect your business to a great extent and may require you to start your operations from the scratch. Would you be willing to allow your years of hard work go in vain just because of a disaster? You should not. Businesses face blows often and should be prepared to bounce back. Though you do not have much control over the loss caused by natural disasters or terrorist attacks, you can considerably reduce their impact on your business. Here is how you do it.
What is a disaster recovery plan and why do you need it?
All you need is the right disaster recovery plan to get back to what you were doing – focus on making profits even after your business is hit by a disaster. Such a recovery plan aims to reduce the damage caused by a disaster – be it natural, financial or technical. It should allow you to resume your business operations with least hindrance. Here is what an ideal disaster recovery plan should cover:
- It should protect important business data.
- It should have options in place to allow your employees to look after their tasks even after a disaster (locating employees and communicating with them).
- A back-up of all the important business software. You will also need a back-up power source and communication system.
Developing the perfect plan
Notify your employees about what they need to do in the event of a disaster and guide them on how they can prevent loss of life and business resources. It is essential to keep the communication precise, simple and clear. You can also perform a mock drill periodically, so that your staff members do not panic during a disaster. Remember that your employees are among your most important assets and their safety should be your primary concern during disasters.
Decide on what’s important
If your business suffers from a disaster, it is unlikely that it will be able to escape without any losses. You can only limit the impact of the loss and not really prevent it completely. So make a list of all that is important for the business. Also make a copy of all your important clients and contacts (along with their addresses and phone numbers).
It is vital to keep a back-up of important records both online and offline. Also have a plan in place specifying how your business operations will be continued till your company recovers from the effects of the disaster.
