Business continuity and disaster planning go hand in hand. When they prepare for a disaster, business owners usually consider emergency numbers, evacuation plans, and insurance. But what about the technology in your office? Do you have plans to save important printing and structural materials? Are you aware of the company's technical risks?
Assess technical risks
The first step in assessing a company's technology risk is to create an inventory of computers, software, and other electronic products that may need to be programmed. Applications and hardware may need to be installed and replaced after a disaster. Having hardware, legal licenses, applications and software lists can help companies create recovery budgets.
Your inventory spreadsheet may contain the following information: name/type of the electronic device; who uses it [eg: CEO's desktop]; device location, RAM; processor speed; operating system [eg Linux, Windows] , Apple, etc.; disk size; server information; date and location of the item purchased; and the accompanying hardware.
Assessing the risk of printing and structural materials
Assess what steps can be taken to prevent a disaster in the office. Many business owners plan to have major natural disasters, but fail to prevent more common disasters such as fires, water leaks and mold damage.
Think about what printed materials would damage your business if you lost it. These documents may include contracts, customer profiles, architectural plans, models, tax documents, X-rays, photos, and more. Place these files in a secure [possibly off-site] location.
Also, identify the dangers of your workplace. Is the candle allowed? Is the fire extinguisher in sight? Is there a leaky window or pool outside the building? Is the office weathered in winter, so the water pipes running overhead will not break due to freezing temperatures?
data backup
Every business should back up data on a regular basis. There are many ways to do this: CD or DVD, external hard drive, or even online. Many companies save backup storage in remote locations even in the event of a fire in the office.
When planning a data backup, consider: What information is most important to save? How often does this information need to be backed up? How long will you save the electronic file? If you lose any files, can you recover quickly?
Don't forget the disaster recovery plan
No matter how much you prepare, sometimes disasters will happen. If the office becomes uninhabitable, please specify an alternate work site. Disaster planning also needs to include plans to re-stand up. How long does it take to get back into operation? Where will all new and old devices be set after the disaster?
Provide contact information for disaster recovery experts in the list of important business numbers. These professionals will help ensure that the repair work is done correctly the first time so that minor problems [such as water damaged molds] do not appear on the road. Document recovery experts can help companies quickly recover their business. Experts can restore photos, books or documents and even X-ray items.
When planning a business, it is not pleasant to consider the worst. future. However, when it comes to business continuity, it is foolish not to consider the worst case scenario. Protect your business & assets: Prepare for a technical disaster.
~Flora Richards-Gustafson, 2009
Orignal From: Protect your business continuity with disaster planning
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