Disaster can strike any business, even huge brand name organisations can be affected by unprecedented events resulting in significant financial loss, redundancies or even the complete shutdown of the entire company.
The relevancy of threats to an organisation will depend on the industry, type of business, its size and location which can all affect the kind of disasters that are most likely to affect the business.
Whilst businesses cannot prepare for every single possible eventuality there are a number of steps that should be taken in order to have a better chance of surviving if something happens.
Here are 5 ways that you can help to disaster proof your business;
1 – Planning
In order to best prepare it is important to dedicate a suitable amount of time to the planning and executing of ideas, strategies and procedures. This will allow you adequate time to assess, refine, test and adjust any steps in your plan to provide a strong, well devised disaster protocol that you will be able to rely upon in the event you need to use it.
This might involve numerous or all members of staff in order to ensure that everybody is able to play their part and are well prepared as well as opening up the floor to the potential for new ideas on how it can be improved. It is also important to not become complacent and ensure that reviews of the procedures are in the calendar for at least every 6 months to keep you on track.
2 – Insurance
Most organisations will have in place business insurance but this does not necessarily mean that you are covered for everything in the event that a disaster occurs. This is why it is important to review your insurance documents to ensure that you know exactly what you are covered for and spot any potential gaps in the policy and either adjust it or find one that offers you better protection.
Looking at your policy after the disaster when you need to make a claim is too late so be thorough and make sure that your business has the right amount of cover and the correct type of insurance for your needs and risk profile.
3 – Back Up
Most businesses rely heavily on computers nowadays which means if the worst should happen and your premises or computers are lost or unusable then you must be able to easily access the information from other locations.
With an IT disaster recovery plan in place you will be able to create clear strategies and steps for all personnel to follow every day that will ensure all work and critical information is correctly stored and backed up. Training all relevant staff on how to follow data recovery protocols is important so that if something was to happen there are multiple people capable of successfully accessing your data.
4 – Generators
Loss of electricity can have a huge effect on businesses of all sizes and is one of the most common after effects of a natural disaster. Every year thousands of UK businesses find themselves without power which means they are left without internet, lighting, IT or security. This is not only hugely inconvenient but means the loss of valuable work hours, potential business and failure to fulfil the customers’ needs.
With fast, effective and affordable backup generator power from the Templant Group your business can be prepared for any eventuality to keep everything running smoothly even when your primary power source lets you down.
5 – Savings
This might seem obvious but the amount of businesses who fail to set money aside for such eventualities is startling. If the worst should happen and disaster strikes, you don’t want your business to just barely survive but to come out fighting with the resources in place to rebuild stronger than before.
A rainy day fund can help to cover additional expenses, temporary hire costs, employee wages and even repairs whilst you await the insurance company pay out which can sometimes take months. By having this additional safety net in place your organisation will be able to better recover and be fully functioning again much faster and easier than it would without it.
