Most companies will have crisis communication strategies in place for clients but how many will have robust Business Continuity plans in place for themselves?
Most companies think about dramatic potential crises but the biggest problems which affect business continuity are in fact much simpler. Business’ today are totally reliant on their e-mail systems and the loss of an ADSL line for any period can have a serious knock on affect as well as cause a great deal of client frustration. Yet how many companies have a back up service or know that they don’t have a service guarantee in place? A second supplier or a service guarantee isn’t expensive and is a lot cheaper than entire company downtime! Equally, if for some reason you need to reinstall software or set up a new machine remotely – can put your hand on the relevant disc AND licence number AND all necessary passwords quickly?
Undoubtedly companies should be set up so if building access is an issue, employees can work remotely with full access to all files and e-mail. Using an off-site server usually offers full protection for most eventualities as well as meaning that all data is automatically backed up within the service agreement.
Look at what happened in February – over 65% of the UK’s workforce didn’t make it to work following the biggest snowfall in 18 years. Whilst pictures of snowmen and sledging shots looked fun, with today’s pressured economy days lost from work have a big impact on businesses – especially SME’s.
All too often, people think about massive disasters when they talk about business continuity but in truth, it is day to day factors – like bad weather– that can impact us most of all. It is a brutal fact that 70% of businesses without a business continuity plan fail. Even more surprising is that of the very few which have, 30% of them have never tested the system so there are no guarantees that what they have created is more than theory.
In truth, the more significant or unexpected the emergency, the more sympathetic clients or customers will be. Adverse weather probably buys you 1 or 2 days of sympathy but beyond that, people expect you to be able to trade. Company managers should plan for these sorts of circumstances and failing to do so can make a business look rather amateur.
There are many things a business can do to ensure that they are primed for the small but damaging things that go wrong and so I have created a checklist for how to prepare and deal with business continuity issues
Top Tips for Business Continuity in the Event of a Crisis
Have a plan! Consider all the things that could affect your business and plan for how you combat these. The most common causes of loss of business continuity are not the dramatic crises but simple problems like prevention of access to buildings or loss of broadband connection
Make sure you share the details. Planning is just half the work – ensuring that all team members know what to do and understand what is expected of them is equally important
Create a battle box which includes
all staff contact details
all client contact details
key supplier details
your business continuity plan
spare cheque book
bank details
insurance contacts
key passwords, URL’s and details of relevant software used
Keep your battle box off-site with copies of contents in at least two locations
Make provision for remote access to your server or consider having an external server (and ensure you back up your data daily as standard practice)
If you use an internal server, make provision to enable you to access backed up data on an alternative system
Consider a backup ADSL line to ensure uninterrupted connection or check that you have a satisfactory service guarantee
If you are unable to access your building, nominate an alternative meeting place which will accommodate all your staff or make sure you have a telephone conference option in place
Ensure you have made provision to access finances, often in a crisis you may need to use cash and access large amounts quickly
Nominate one person to co-ordinate everything should you need to put your continuity plan in place and then you can have an IT stress free new year.
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