What’s the worst thing that could happen to your business? You could fail to plan for how to respond to various disasters, and then your company could die a quick death.
At first, it seems unlikely that one adverse event could have that much of an impact, but smaller companies are most vulnerable to the crippling effects of unanticipated disasters.
1. The Range of Events
There are many potential threats for which a business owner should plan.
On paper, this looks like a description of the automated solutions that a company will use to recover data and to move applications to backup servers, just to name two.
A good plan also describes how an organization will continue business operations and what specific actions employees will take immediately following the event.
A big risk is a cyber attack, usually involving a combination of people inside or outside the company.
They might have some knowledge of a company’s technology weaknesses.
Another threat is an insidious computer virus that spreads throughout your company’s servers.
Other disasters are power outages in data centers and loss of massive amounts of data.
A company building might also sustain physical damage to servers and other equipment from a natural disaster or a fire.
2. The Need to Secure Business Operations
One area of business operations in which small businesses are weakest concerns IT systems, many of which exist entirely in the cloud.
Here, we discuss the importance of comprehensive disaster recovery planning.
When it comes to IT systems, no businesses can afford to ignore risks that might weaken or wipe out their business operations.
Often, the planning process raises the need for forming a relationship with experts in disaster recovery.
3. The Interesting Thing About a Business Owner’s Generation
It’s strange, one might say, to imagine that some companies are at greater risk because of the demographics of their owners.
However, one nationwide study found that millennials (or those reaching adulthood around the year 2000), are more likely to have engaged in disaster recovery planning.
4. The Need for Clear Objectives
Okay, so you are a business owner. You might be older than millennials.
That isn’t really the point. We’re glad that you have finally decided to either create your first data backup plan or to revisit an existing one.
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- You know that your company’s IT systems are always exposed to internal and external threats.
- You have some antivirus software installed on all company servers and employee workstations.
- You have a system that backs up business data.
However, you know that you’ve been putting off consulting with a company that might perform a comprehensive needs assessment.
It’s important to set clear objectives for this planning process, which starts with accounting for all systems that the company owns or maintains and listing all of the potential risks.
5. The Investment in Disaster Protection
If you enlist assistance for disaster recovery planning, you can decide which disaster recovery solutions will help protect all systems against adverse events.
Choose the solutions that will fit your IT budget without overextending it.
It’s not wise to say that you cannot afford recovery solutions at this time or that you will add them to your five-year plan.
Consider all of the threats that are known or have affected similar companies.
Get your hands on industry case studies in this field.
Look at the technology expertise within your organization.
Somehow, your planning may suggest that you should hire disaster recovery experts to install and maintain appropriate solutions. They could be expensive.
After a disaster, they will be instrumental in keeping operations going and minimizing the damage.
