If one thinks about starting a firm or creating continued success within a company, planning for disasters would be low on that list. The sad reality is that no one thinks about what happens to a company when things go wrong.
Most thought goes into how the company can perform better in the marketplace or how to make more money. But the role of disaster planning in the company needs to be addressed. Without a course of action in events that hamper the business, the company is either at a standstill or even losing money at a rate that may not be recoverable.
But, even if we do realise the importance of managing crises, how do we start?
There are several different methods to Disaster Planning, but there is no one specific guideline that would be suitable for all companies out there. The emphasis on data preservation would not be as important to a marketing firm than a financial management firm.
And although I can’t create a perfect solution to all kinds, I can however provide some broad guidelines as to how we can make a disaster plan as efficiently as possible.
Step #1: Identify Risk
You are only as strong as your weakest link.
The first step is to ensure that emergencies do not happen in the first place. As such, we should identify the risks and find ways to avoid the ramifications of any misfortunes. These would reduce the need for any plan that follows, and would create a stronger base of foundation for the company.
But did you know that 90% of successful breaches are due to human error?
Examples of avoiding effects caused by disasters could be acts like buying insurance for your company or ensuring that the business has data offsite to prevent any loss in information. These actions would reduce the damaging effects of a negative occurrence.
Step #2: Develop a Plan
The second step would be to develop a plan. This plan should include detailed solutions to each of the problems that you might find plaguing your company in the near future. From an electrical fire to a loss in wireless connectivity, a separate plan should be set in place to ensure that there are protocols to follow. Questions like “what to do” or “where should we go” should be answered before that scenario rears its ugly head. For instance, putting up phone numbers of emergency numbers and business partners are a way to ensure a business’ readiness for future scenarios.
Step #3: Implement & Train
The third step is to train the employees in the firm and ensure that they fully understand how to implement the plan if disaster was to strike. Having courses or training during office hours can be done to further ensure a business’ preparedness.
Step #4: Be a Leader in your Community
The last step is for firms to devise a plan and lead the team in your community towards a full recovery. As mentioned previously, while the issue might have initial problems surfacing after it happens, the main issue would be the reverberations it has on the business into the future. The ability to cope with the stress on your business needs to be addressed as quickly as possible to reduce the effects on the company’s bottom-line. Hence, being a leader to guide your team or company is crucial in obtaining a full recovery.
These are just overarching steps to ensure that your firm is able to contain its operations even after a disaster. But, in order to make sure that the plans are working, they have to be tested. Constant implementations of the plan would help to smoothen out processes while also looking for holes in the process.
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