Does Your Small Business Have a Continuity or Recovery Plan For Emergency Situations or Natural Disasters?

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By Dzhingarov

If you are a small business owner, you know that launching a new business require a lot of energy and time. You have to think of many things in a short period of time, you need to create a strategy, to develop a business plan and to find ways to attract customers in order to survive on the market.

You don’t have time to think of emergency situations or natural disasters because you are invested in making your business grow, but not having a plan for these situations can do a lot of damage on the long run.

What Is A Recovery Plan For Emergency Situations or Natural Disasters?

A natural disaster or an emergency situation is considered any event that can cause a significant disruption in computer processing capabilities or operational capabilities for a period of time. This kind of situation will affect the operations of an existing business.

A disaster recovery pan, or a DRP, consists in a document that provides a set of procedures to protect and recover a business’ computer system in case such events occur. This document specifies the procedures the organization needs to follow in case of an emergency situation or a natural disaster. Since all businesses nowadays depend on technology, a disaster recovery plan is vital to ensure the continuation of a business. This plan includes information about how to handle a crisis for all the people involved in the business, from investors to all the employees that use computers, and the responsibilities, checklists and procedures that need to be followed by each individual in order to keep the crisis under control and to minimize the impact of such a situation.

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A good disaster recovery plan includes:

  • Scope and objectives
  • Business recovery organization (BRO) and responsibilities
  • Format and structure of the major plan components
  • Scenario of an emergency situation/natural disaster and how the plan should be executed
  • Plan activation, notification and escalation
  • Off-site storage program
  • Personnel control program
  • Data loss limitations
  • Plan administration (a general overview)

 What Are The Benefits Of A Recovery Plan For Emergency Situations or Natural Disasters For Small Businesses?

For large companies, disaster recovery plans are mandatory. The company cannot afford to lose important data so these kind of plans are always created and tested to guarantee the continuity of the organization and to avoid unnecessary delays.

Even though it doesn’t seem like it, a disaster recovery plan is more vital for a small organization than for a huge one. A small business owner depends on the information he has in the organization’s computers and a long delay can mean losing important clients. That is not desirable for large companies either, but for small business owners that can mean the end of their organization.

A disaster recovery plan can offer multiple benefits, including but not limited to:

  • A sense of security
  • Minimizing delays in business operations
  • Minimizing decision making during a crisis
  • Lowering the stress during a crisis
  • Reducing potential legal liabilities
  • Reducing the risk of losing clients
  • Guaranteeing the recovery of the data