Smart businesses have a plan in place to get up and running and protect their data if the worst happens. Here’s how to build a business continuity plan in case your company needs to deal with a catastrophe.
Assess Your Likeliest Risks
The best way to plan for disaster is to run tabletop scenarios for the most likely situations. A few common emergencies include:
- Large-scale power outage
- Broken water main or pipe
- Electrical fire or wildfire
- Seasonal storms
- Tornadoes and high winds
- Outdated or damaged building structure
Add Emergency Power
If possible, before disaster hits, create a backup power source. A large generator can power some of your business if not all of it to prevent things like commercial food loss or computer failure. A backup generator is also helpful if a catastrophe strikes while people are in your office premises and need to exit safely.
Back Up Data Regularly to the Cloud
Get in the habit of storing your data, especially customer and financial information, in the cloud. You should ideally store at least two backup copies of your data in different geographical locations. That way you won’t have to worry about your data being lost if your computers or servers (or your accountant’s system) are permanently destroyed.
Develop a Communication Tree
Create a plan for passing information from management to employees via email, phone calls, and texting. After a natural disaster, workers will want to know if the business is closed, how to reach important people, and how payroll will be handled. Be sure to have emergency messages for your website and voicemail standing by too.
Consider Your Vendors and Associates
If you have other companies you work with daily, such as businesses in your supply chain, transporters, or project team members, you will need to reach them. Prepare a contact list in advance, and store that in the cloud as well.
Keep Your Business Insurance Updated
A key element of recovery after a disaster is having the right business insurance in place. When it comes to emergencies, your property insurance and cyber insurance are the main players. Property insurance can help pay for damage to your premises, equipment, or inventory; cyber insurance can help cover the cost of data recovery or any breaches that occur as the result of an event outside your control.
Is it time to review your business insurance policy? Contact us, or reach out online. Our independent agents can tailor a policy to your unique risks, so you can get back to work as quickly as possible when the unexpected happens.