No one likes to imagine the worst-case scenario, but it’s important for businesses to put themselves in the shoes of an organization that has everything to lose. What would happen if you suddenly experienced a data loss disaster, or worse, a complete and total shutdown of operations? If you don’t have a plan in place, you will certainly wish you did. Let’s talk about how to make that happen.
First, let’s examine what the concept of business continuity entails, especially in the context of a global pandemic.
Plenty can go wrong when you run a business. Natural disasters, power outages, fires, floods, hacking attacks, ransomware, and user error can all create difficult positions for your business to get out of, provided you are unprepared for them. A business continuity plan can help your business prepare for trouble and manage expectations both during and after a disaster. This might include keeping downtime to a minimum and preserving resources, like your data. That said, we want to make it clear that disaster recovery and business continuity are two different things. While disaster recovery does contribute to a business continuity plan, it must be said that business continuity is more all-encompassing and addresses more than just your disaster recovery.
Before thinking about the specifics of your plan, we recommend performing what is called a business impact analysis. This is when you take a closer look at critical functions of your business, as well as how important they are and how badly your organization might be impacted by them. Once you understand how your business could be affected by a potential disaster, you can prioritize business continuity by focusing on those aspects of recovery.
There are several specifics that you will want to look at regarding your own business continuity plan, but they will generally fall into one of the three categories below.
In essence, your business continuity plan should take into account all resources it needs for everyone to do their jobs as effectively and efficiently as possible. It is also helpful to have your business continuity plan in a location where everyone who needs it can find it. You should also plan to maintain a list of equipment, the locations of your data backups, and contact information needed for operations to keep operations going.
It is critical to remember that your business continuity plan is only as valuable as your ability to execute on it. You can perform a test of your plan to discover what works for your plan, what doesn’t work for your plan, and what might still need to be addressed. If you can routinely test your strategy, you will be prepared for when it comes time to actually utilize it. Here are some ideas to help you make sure your business continuity plan is ready for action:
If you have not considered these worst-case scenarios, don’t wait any longer. KB Technologies can help you get focused on your organization’s future by assisting you with implementing and testing a business continuity plan. To learn more, reach out to us at (954) 834-2800.
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