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Recovery Planning

Business Continuity and Recovery Planning

You have invested a lot of time, effort, and money into the establishment of your business.  Have you invested the time and resources into protecting it?

It doesn't take a lot of imagination to realize how exposed your business can be. Every day we see and hear about some sort of natural disaster like forest fire, earthquake, hurricane, tornado, or flood, even disruptions and disasters caused by mechanical or human forces.  The recent power outage that hit the northeast brings home the reality of this point.

There are many statistical reports that can give you a quantitative picture of your exposure, but you already know that.  You know that you have exposures, but have you taken steps to minimize their impact and enable the continuous operation of your business?  

Unfortunately, many business owners don't and assume that they will handle the circumstances at the time it occurs.  Most studies conclude that approximately 25% of businesses that are forced to shut down, even for a supposedly short period of time following a disaster, do not reopen.  This is a startling reality.

What would you do if your business were interrupted?  It doesn't have to be a major event.  A power outage, loss of water, inability to get to your place of business are all common occurrences that can potentially disrupt your business.  While you might not be able to prevent the interruption, you can take steps to minimize your potential loss from these events.

Developing an effective Business Continuity and Recovery Plan for your business involves four steps:

Performing an Impact Analysis / Risk assessment

• Understanding the critical elements of your business, identifying single points of failure, determining the risk factor, and prioritizing your needs.

Documenting a plan

• Writing a simple set of procedures to be followed, creating contact lists, inventory sheets, and other relevant information to be used at the time of the disruption.

Establishing the appropriate safeguards and infrastructure

• Making arrangements for those elements that will allow your business to continue to function, such as, alternative facilities, redundant equipment and services, alternate sources of supply and delivery services, temporary employees, etc.

Training and Testing

• Providing the necessary education and executing regular tests and drills to ensure that the plan you developed will work when needed.

Developing an effective Continuity and Recovery Plan for your business can be a complex and risky effort.  Using the assistance of a professional with the knowledge and experience needed, will save you time and resources, and provide the assurance that your plan will be effective and successful when you need to implement it.

Please call to arrange for a complimentary initial consultation and to discuss your continuity and recovery planning requirements.

Please contact me to arrange for a complimentary first session to discuss how I can help you take your business to the next level or assist with a specific problem area.