Any small business owner knows how much time, money, and effort go into running a small business. Unfortunately there are events that can make much of this effort disappear in the blink of an eye. Whether it be a natural disaster, or a malicious man-made event, years of hard work can disappear in seconds. That is why it’s important to have a disaster recovery plan for small business.
Being the owner of a small business means you will be very busy, and making a disaster recovery plan for small businesses might be one of the things that goes forgotten. That’s why it’s important to make one with some of the rare free time you have. How do you go about it though?
Emergency response plan
A disaster recovery plan for small business should begin with setting up an emergency response plan. A system should be in place for employees to be able to notify the relevant people in the event of a disaster. Timely action can save not only lives but also property in the event of a disaster. This plan needs to be practiced sporadically so in the event of a disaster the employees are well trained on evacuating.
Backing up sensitive data
Another action a disaster recovery plan for small business should have is backing up data to separate locations. In the event of a disaster, having a cloud service to back data up to is a great idea. Cloud services to hold sensitive data in the event of a disaster is necessary because it means there is no physical hardware to get damaged in a disaster. Employee records, client financial data and other sensitive data will be backed up daily in order to maintain the most recent records. Some other information that must be backed up is a compilation of important phone numbers, and addresses. The information included here will be insurance company contact information as well as emergency services contact information. Managed IT services are a no hassle way to make sure your information is backed up and ready for you without worrying about it yourself.
Protecting business assets
The next item on your disaster recovery plan for small business is protecting your building and other physical assets. Inspection of your buildings, and other assets will allow you to make an approximation of the losses that will be incurred if those assets are lost in a disaster. Insurance protecting the vital physical assets of the building is necessary in the event of losses. This will help you get your business back on your feet after a disaster quicker. Many businesses do not get back on their feet after a disaster. Insurance will help financially in the event of a disaster.
Maintaining customer relationships
Now that the internal issues have been accounted for, it’s time to focus on the external issues that arise in a disaster. Notifying loyal customers of potential setbacks, closings, or supply line disruptions is very important. A disaster recovery plan for small business will include a way to communicate properly with clients any issues that have arisen as a result of the disaster. One of the most important things about being a small business is the customer relationship management. Having a plan on how to maintain your customer relationships through a disaster is the best way to keep your loyal customers your loyal customers.
There are some things that are unavoidable. While there is no way to predict or avoid a disaster, having a thorough and careful disaster recovery plan for small business is one way to ensure that your hard work and effort do not disappear in the blink of an eye.