– Bhavna Singh, spokespoerson for Ricoh, says:
Business continuity and disaster recovery planning are the terminologies that are directly related with each other’s functionality. When it comes on dealing with disasters, business owners generally count on emergency numbers, insurance matters and evacuation plans. But what about the technology used in the organization? Do you have any plan or strategy for safeguarding the crucial printed and structural resources? Are you aware of all the technological risks of your firm?
Evaluating Risks of Technology
The first step involved in estimating a company’s technology risk is to maintain inventories of resources like software, computers and other electronic items that need to be programmed for proper functionality. After a disaster’s occurrence, hardware and applications need to be replaced and re-installed. If you will have a list of software, hardware, applications and legal licenses, it will be a way easier to create business recovery budgets.
The spreadsheet of your inventory may include information like: type of the electronic equipment, name of the person who uses it, RAM, location of the equipment, processor’s speed, the operating system, information about server, disk size, date and location details of the item purchased and complementing hardware.
Evaluating the Risks of Printed and Organizational Material
Estimation is what can be done to mitigate the disaster challenges in your firm. Most of the business owners keep back-up plans for big natural disasters, but seem failed to prevent some of the common mishaps such as water leakage, fires, and cast damage.
Take some time and think about all such printed materials that can have devastating effect on your business continuity once they are lost. These documents may include client files, models, tax documents, deeds, photographs etc. Keep these documents in a safe location perhaps off-site.
Also, identity hazards in your firm. Are candles allowed? Whether fire extinguishers are rightly placed? Is there any water leakage problem? Is the office weatherized so as to bear the freezing temperatures?
Backing-Up Data
It is a wise step for every business to have a back-up in regular intervals of time. You can easily find numerous ways to accomplish this like using a DVD or CD, online available storage space or external hard drive. Many businesses keep their data backed up off-site to prevent data loss in event of fire at their own site.
If you are planning for creating data back-up, you need to focus on the most crucial information. Then, how often such information needs to be backed-up? How long will you save digital data? If any of the file is lost, can it be quickly recovered?
Don’t miss on the planning for disaster recovery.
No matter what are your preparations, sometimes disasters just happen. Choose a back-up site in case the office is no more habitable. Disaster planning also includes the plans that one requires to stand on his feet again. How much time will it take to be operational again? Where will all the equipments be installed after a disaster?
Be in contact with a disaster restoration specialists. These professionals will help making sure that repairing is done appropriately first time so that the secondary problems may not hinder your way. Specialists know their job of getting a business back on track in minimum possible time.
When it is about business continuity, it is nothing but a foolish step to not considering the worst scenario. Protect your business-critical assets by being prepared with a DR plan for disastrous events.
