When we discuss business continuity, the generalization “disaster” could mean just about anything that halts normal business operations. How does your organization respond to an actual disaster, one that can potentially destroy your business completely? Let’s take a look at some of the ways your organization can prepare for these circumstances to keep your organization from an unfortunate demise.
Tip #1 - Plan Emergency Guidelines
A disaster could strike when you least expect it. Maybe it’s a weather event, structural/infrastructure damage, a malware attack—the list could go on and on. No matter what, it’s going to be something that threatens the future of your business. You need to have a plan to address these disasters. Emergency preparedness includes preparing for multiple disaster scenarios, all of which should be included in a comprehensive plan that addresses each of them. Plus, every business will have unique considerations to plan around.
First, you need to plan how to take the fight to every single type of anticipated emergency by determining what resources will be necessary for your business to function. This might include instructions to your team and assigning roles to specific individuals during the disaster scenario. This type of proactive approach is critical to prevent downtime in the event of a disaster.
Tip #2 - 3-2-1
A comprehensive data backup and recovery plan will also be needed in the event of a disaster. Most small businesses will not have the ability to shift all operations to a new location immediately following a disaster, so you will need to make a tough call about which applications and data are critical to keeping downtime to a minimum.
Suffolk Computer Consultants recommends that you take the 3-2-1 approach to data redundancy. This involves having three copies of your data, two of which are stored on-site and one of which is stored off-site. This will enable quick recovery following a disaster of any type, whether it’s a disaster that threatens your physical location or digital infrastructure.
Tip #3 - You Have to Test
A lot of preparation and investment goes into disaster preparedness, so it would be a shame if your organization were to do all of this only to find that your disaster recovery strategy simply does not work. It’s like building a levee to keep water at bay only to find that it does not work in the event of a flood.
To ensure this does not happen to you, you need to know with confidence that your disaster recovery strategy will work when you need it most. Remember, this whole process is one of managing risk and optimizing your chances of success in the event of a disaster. If you want to make sure that a disaster does not derail operations, you need to test your disaster recovery plans to make sure they work as they are supposed to.
Discussing your concerns with the IT professionals at Suffolk Computer Consultants is the best way to prepare your business for the plethora of disasters you might encounter. We can help you ensure that a disaster doesn’t spell the end for your company. To learn more, reach out to us at (631) 905-9617.
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