To ensure the survival of your business in any sort of disaster situation, a clear and concise plan of action needs to exist and be carried out. This will make sure that your business will survive and continue to operate during these critical times.
The Importance of Business Continuity
Every large business out there should have some semblance of a business continuity plan. We can see the necessity of such critical planning with what is going on in the world today.
As many businesses face total shutdown and eventually close their doors permanently, yours will not be among them. That is how important a business continuity plan is.
How to Implement Business Continuity
How do you start to take action in case disasters strike [1]? The first step is to focus on the process and operation of your particular business. Even if disasters don’t tend to strike your area, this is a good business practice just to know these numbers.
Understand who and what are considered essential to your business. Look at the cost compared to the benefits and identify the bare bones of who and what you need to keep your company running.
In other words, the first step of your business continuity failsafe is to create a priorities list. In the USA, there are federal and state laws in place that require companies to have disaster planning.
Identify the most essential functions of your business and what it entails to keep those running. Ask yourself questions such as the supplies needed, stock, software, etc, to move forward.
Once this is identified, having an emergency supply set aside as you would in your house is the next step. If there are consumables and perishables in the list, then rotate through it before expiry.
The next logical step is to identify your key staff members to carry out the essential tasks. Some sort of training for such emergencies is also necessary so your employees are clear about what to do and when to do it.
We would suggest designating your most qualified staff members to these roles to minimize the chances of error during such critical times. If unforeseen circumstances arise, these people will also be the most equipped to think quickly on their feet.
Make sure that at some point during the plan, you have a step that instructs the backup and recovery of your data and IT systems.
A simple plan of action will look like this:
- Disaster planning
- Identifying essential functions
- Delegating staff to fulfill these roles
- Allocating emergency supplies
- Data recovery and backup
Implementing Satellite Internet and Phones
It’s difficult to determine how long a disaster can last and how long communications will be down. When regular cell communication is limited or non-existent, the use of satellite phones and the internet can be a real lifesaver.
There are a lot of businesses around the world that consist of many branches. Whether it’s a sudden natural disaster or a chronic one such as wars raging across a country, satellite phones and the internet can be a stand-in or semi-permanent resolution.
How would you oversee production and operation in branches, offices, and factories that are spread all over the country or around the world? The answer is satellite phones.
Except for some regions, mainly the polar regions, coverage across the globe is possible. Now, depending on which satellite plans you choose (GEO or LEO), there could be some lag time, delay, or signal disruption without a proper line of sight.
When using a satellite phone or internet, having a clear shot at the sky will yield the best reception. If you are a fishing fleet in the middle of the ocean, most satellite phone plans can still offer you coverage.
In order to ensure that operation is still running smoothly and to help you keep a handle on your business processes, having backup satellite phones and the internet can guarantee at least one uninterrupted line of communication.
Other Forms of Communication and Technology for Business Continuity
As technology evolves, it has become a fundamental asset for business continuity. Nothing can beat satellite phones and the internet for uninterrupted communication, but there are other technologies that can also help.
Consider virtualization. The more information and data you move online, then you have less physical documents or devices you need to keep track of. Then we have the cloud storage that can keep all your data safely stored away at no risk of being wiped out.
Try social networks and communication apps such as Skype and Microsoft Teams when phone lines are down. There are many other examples of what can be used for communications when phone lines are down but the internet is still working.
Business Continuity VS Disaster Recovery
Some of you may be wondering if you need a business continuity action plan when you already have disaster recovery tactics in place. While the two terms are sometimes used interchangeably, they are actually different.
A business continuity plan is one that allows your business to run during the course of a disaster and after. A disaster recovery plan is a subset of business continuity and refers to how your business will restart after the event of a disaster at full capacity.
Disaster recovery can be implemented after nation scale disasters such as an earthquake or hurricane or simply small digital terrorist attacks such as a computer virus.
You can bypass the disaster recovery plan alone if you have it in place as a subcategory of your business continuity plan.
What Happens without Proper Business Continuity?
There are a few top errors that companies make during business continuity planning, and they often lead to some sort of failure in the plans. Let’s take a look at some of the top mistakes to prevent you from making the same ones.
No Testing
Other than planning for disasters, you need to test out your plan of action. There are a lot of times where everything looks good on paper but when it comes time to carry it out, there are a lot of holes in the plan that didn’t seem obvious before.
You should also bring experienced members of your team in on the planning process. A few great minds together can better create a successful plan of action.
No Proper Support
Not having proper or sufficient support from upper-level management or others on your team could also make it difficult to carry out a well-formed plan.
If there isn’t a lot of support from senior-level positions, then this could hinder the effort of business continuity. You may not have proper funding or equipment to carry out your plans to full effect
Inadequate Planning
You need to be thorough with your planning. One missed aspect could cause the whole process to come crumbling down. You should also make sure you have planned for all types of disasters.
For example, a plan that may work for a short power outage may not be in-depth enough to combat a hurricane and its aftermath. A successful company may even have 2-3 business continuity plans for different disasters.
Benefits of Business Continuity
Before you deem business continuity planning as overkill because you live in a safe area, we’re going to bring into light a few benefits that may change your mind.
Increases Your Company Reliability
Depending on your industry, having your company be operational during critical times can instill more confidence in your clients and customers. This shows them that you have a high level of commitment to them and your business practices.
Having business continuity in place shows your patrons that you will be there supporting them in all circumstances.
It May Save Lives
Again, this depends on your industry and the type of disaster. If there are fires or earthquakes, proper business continuity plans with disaster recovery in place can save lives.
Your employees will know exactly what to do and their clear-cut roles during a disaster. Your employees are arguably one of the most important assets of your company, so keeping them safe is a high priority.
Builds Confidence in Your Employees
Happy employees mean increased morale and a smoother running company. Having your staff members know that you have contingencies in place makes them feel like you care and are a responsible employer.
It May Be the Law
You may not have a choice in some parts of the country. There are laws that require companies to have these plans of action outlined to their employees. Having a business continuity plan could save you a hefty fine.
Protects Your Company
It helps mitigate the business and financial risks of your company and also protects your supply chain.
Gives You an Advantage Over Competitors
When your competitors are shut down, you are still operational. This means you are more responsive, ever-present for your customers, and prove to be more reliable for business partners, shareholders, and customers alike.
Conclusion
Having a proper business continuity plan could be the difference between the success and failure of a company. It requires far more than just a plan on how to recover after a disaster.
A proper business continuity plan will not only help you prevent certain problems from arising during a disaster, but it also helps your business run smoothly during and after the event.
We can never really plan for what tomorrow may bring or what disasters are on the horizon, but having an efficient business continuity plan can guarantee that you manage the situation to the best of your abilities and prove to be reliable to your customers.
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