Tips for Business Continuity and Disaster Planning

While Florida is famous for its sandy beaches and breathtaking views, the deadly hurricanes that have hit its shores have hogged more headlines than any other state in the US. As per the Hurricane Research Division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 40% of all U.S. hurricanes hit Florida. In addition to the powerful ones, such as Katrina, Charley, Wilma or Elma, even the lesser known ones have caused massive devastation to life and business in the sunshine state. 

Whether you are a retail establishment, a small business, or a large corporation, you cannot ignore this natural phenomenon. Moreover, you also have to consider the floods and fires that follow in the aftermath of the storms. Hence, securing critical information and safeguarding the records of your customers, suppliers and employees is very important. 

• Have you put in place adequate controls and measures to minimize disruption to your business operations? 
• Do you have a systematic backup plan that allows for your business to run as smoothly as possible from an alternate site? 
• Have you created a formal disaster management plan, with roles, responsibilities and checklists for recovery of your physical and digital data including IT infrastructure?

At Crown Information Management, we understand the severity of a situation where a business loses its paper or digital records. As experts in records management and storage, we focus on protecting our clients’ physical information and records from all possible threats, including thefts, accidents and natural disasters. Our data management specialists offer tips on how you can get ahead of the storm, and keep your business safe.

Keep Your Business Afloat in the Face of a Storm, Flood or Hurricane

If it is hurricane season in Florida, frequent power outages, loss of internet connectivity, inaccessible offices and system downtime are the order of the day. Keep your business afloat through the recurring disruptions by putting in place a: 

• Disaster Recovery (DR) Plan: A tactical plan that focuses on restoring your technology platforms, systems and business data in the event of a disaster. 
• Business Continuity Plan (BCP): A strategic risk management plan that includes decisive steps on internal communication, human safety, facilities management and data and records management, when disaster strikes.

Here are some simple steps that will help you cover all the bases when you create and implement your BCP and DR plans.

1. Evaluate whether your offices are equipped to handle the smooth evacuation of files, records and other business materials. Conduct routine fire drills to ensure that your emergency exits and fire extinguishers are up to code.
2. Formalize and communicate DR and BCP plans internally so that your staff is aware of all the protocols of an activated plan.
3. Build a crisis communication plan to ensure that your customers, employees, vendors and contractors get regular updates on the emerging situation during a storm or hurricane. Implement a remote working policy, if the nature of your business allows for it.
4. Protect your data and systems by using cloud backups and off-site servers. This will make it easy to function with a secondary site when calamities occur.
5. If you have made significant changes in your operations or technical infrastructure, incorporate them into your DR and BCP plans. Revisit your plans at regular intervals and conduct test runs to address and fix loopholes. 
6. Define a records management framework, and identify and create a prioritization access matrix for vital records. This will not only safeguard your business operations, but also help relevant personnel to access critical records in a timely manner.

Records and Information Management (RIM) Professionals Can Help Secure Your Business Information 

For secure storage and timely access to your business records, count on a trusted SOC1 Level 2 Report, NAID AAA and PCI Certified company, such as Crown Information Management. Our state-of-the-art storage facility will help you save time, space and money on managing your paper-based information. Our experienced professionals will help you classify, secure, retrieve, track and permanently preserve or destroy information, based on your operational priorities and industry compliance norms.

To learn more about our various record management services, call Crown Information Management at 800-979-9545 or complete our online formand get a free estimate for your requirements.