A strategic disaster recovery plan for small business operations mitigates the risks of closing down after a disaster. FEMA reveals that up to 60 percent of small businesses never reopen their doors after suffering a disaster. About 90 percent of those that don’t reopen within five days following the disaster will fail within one year.
Disasters such as cyber-attacks, data breaches, and natural calamities can bring devastating impacts on small businesses. It is why small business owners need a business continuity plan to prevent such setbacks from halting their operations. The plan acts as a roadmap to help you know what to do when a disaster strikes.
Here are the strategies to create a disaster recovery plan for your business operations. Share on XDevelop a Backup/Business Continuity Plan
A business continuity plan ensures that your small business keeps running even when a disaster strikes hard. Your business will continue selling products and services to clients no matter what happens. The continuity plan includes a business impact analysis (BIA), recovery strategies to lessen the disasters, and assigning roles to team members.
Create a Communications Strategy
Effective communication is the key to business success. When a human-made or natural disaster strikes your company, communicate with your customers about your business state after the disaster. You can post updates on social media, contact the clients by phone, publish it in local newspapers, or post notices outside your premises.
Duplicate and Create Backup Records of Data
Data backup systems are essential to business continuity during a disaster. Ensure that you get up-to-date duplicates of sensitive business records, contracts, and documents, then back them up off-site. You can secure the data in the cloud or a safe deposit box to protect it from cyber-attacks. With data backups, you can restore data after a disaster.
Recovering Your Small Business From Disaster with Enstep
As a small business owner, you must plan for your business’s survival during disasters like data breaches and natural calamities. Evaluate your business exposure to the risks and prepare a small business disaster recovery plan to lessen the impacts. The good news is that Enstep can help you create a disaster preparedness plan for recovery.
Contact us today to get a customized response plan to different disasters.
Amy Passmore is the Chief Executive Officer and Integrator of Enstep Technology Solutions, where she has been a key leader since the company’s founding. She has overseen core operational and financial functions from day one and now leads the company’s continued growth in managed IT services. Outside of work, she supports inclusion in her community by managing the Texas Power Soccer Association and coaching the Houston Fireballs Power Soccer Club.
