Technology and Disaster Planning
Business continuity and disaster planning go hand-in-hand. When businesses are disaster planning, the usual items are typically thought-out: emergency numbers, evacuation plans, insurance matters, etc. How about the technology risks along with printed and structural materials at stake? Is there a plan for recovery?
Assessing Technology Risks
The Times-Standard reports that assessing risks involving technology begins with creating inventories of applications and hardware for computer and other electronic items that may need programming. After a disaster, applications and hardware may need to be reinstalled and replaced. Having a list of hardware, legal licenses, applications, and software can help a business create a budget in case recovery is ever needed. It is advised to keep licensing information and distribution media in a safe location away from the business, like a safe deposit box, so it is easy to find should they need to be installed into electronic equipment, or should proof of ownership be required.
It is suggested that one make a list of computer hardware in a spreadsheet with the following information: name/type of electronic equipment and who uses it (for example: CEO’s desktop computer), location of the equipment, RAM, the speed of the processor, operating system (for example: Linux, Windows, Apple, etc.), size of disk, server information, date and location where the item was purchased, and accompanying hardware.
Assessing Printed and Structural Material Risks
Before planning on what to do if there is a disaster, one needs to take a look around the place of business and assess what can be done to prevent a disaster. Many business owners plan on big natural disasters, but often neglect the “smaller” disasters that are more common in life: fires, water leaks, and mold damage.
What printed materials would devastate a business if lost: deeds, client files, architectural plans, models, tax documents, x-rays, photographs, etc.? It can cost a company thousands of dollars and clients if important items are lost.
One also needs to assess what items around a building are hazards. Are candles allowed in the office? Are fire extinguishers in plain sight? Are there any leaky windows or pools of water outside of the building? Is the office weatherized for the winter so water pipes running overhead do not burst from freezing temperatures?
Data Back-up
Every business should back up data at regularly-scheduled times. There are many ways to do this: on to CDs or DVDs, a flash stick, an external hard drive, or even online. Many businesses even keep backed-up storage off-site in the event of a fire at the office.
When planning on data backups, think: What information is the most important to save? How often will this information need to be backed-up? For how long does one need to save electronic files? If any files are lost, can they be recovered quickly?
Don’t Forget Disaster Recovery Planning
No matter how hard one may try to prevent disasters at the workplace, sometimes they just happen. Designate a back-up work site in advance in the event that the office becomes uninhabitable. Disaster planning needs to include plans to get back up on one’s feet. How long will it take to become operational again? Where will all of the equipment, new or old, be set-up after a disaster?
Have the contact information for a disaster restoration specialist in a list of important business numbers so material recovery can not only be fast, but immediate. These professionals will help ensure the work is done correctly and efficiently the first time so secondary problems (like mold from water damage) do not make an appearance down the road.
Many business owners assume that lost printed materials, photographs, x-rays, etc. are lost forever after a disaster. One may spend hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars trying to replace these items when a document restoration company could easily assist. Document restoration specialists can help businesses get back on their feet in a fraction of the time one would have spent recovering materials on his or her own. Specialists can help restore items one may thought were a complete loss like photographs, wet books or documents, and even x-rays.
One does not want to think about the worst when it comes to planning a business’ future. However, not thinking about the worst when it comes to recovery and business continuity is often the downfall of entrepenuers after a disaster happens and all is lost.
~Flora Richards-Gustafson, 2009
