A business continuity plan is the equivalent of your strategy when the world goes into meltdown mode. It’s your version of the nuclear shelter. You might have your offices wiped out by a natural disaster or your servers taken down by a cyber-attack. No business is completely free from risk.
In the event something does happen, you need a business continuity plan. It needs to dictate what you need to do to get back in business again and what you need to do should you lose customer data or an entire database.
Here are some off the reasons why you need to ensure you have an updated business continuity plan.
Keep Going
Your business continuity plan will allow your company to get back on its feet again. It might not allow the entire business to recover right away, but you’ll be able to operate on a basic level.
It can be something as simple as installing a generator to restore power when the lights go out.
Operate Remotely
In some cases, you might have no choice but to relocate. This is possible if you live in states like New York, Louisiana, and Arkansas where natural disasters of all kinds can appear out of nowhere.
Operating remotely to a minor degree can enable you to do what you can for your customers and keep the general public updated about the situation.
For example, your staff might be able to work from home on tablet computers and laptops whilst your office is physically out of commission.
Protecting Data
Data is what allows a business to operate. Should you lose access to this data, for whatever reason, your business continuity plan will allow you gain access to it again.
This part of your business continuity plan will include your backup solutions. One example of a business continuity plan could involve storing data in a remote location on a remote device.
Reducing the Damage
Every minute off the grid is money lost and customer satisfaction shaken. Businesses that leave the public eye for just a few weeks may never open again. One of the reasons they never reopen again is a lack of direction. They don’t know what to do and they find themselves unable to recover.
Business continuity plans provide you with that vital direction you need to function. It allows you to reduce downtime and get back to business as soon as possible.
How Complex Does Your Plan Need to Be?
Despite the fact there are consultants charging thousands of dollars to form business continuity plans, these aren’t always necessary. Simple contingency plans are more than enough to ground the situation and get back to normality with the least hassle possible.