Are you protected?
Disaster can strike at any time, and in most cases, with little to no warning. While certain weather systems and general problems can be anticipated, it is almost impossible to know when a disaster will strike.
You must have a plan to protect your business before disaster strikes.
Successful managed service providers and the companies they support have both a Business Continuity Plan (BCP) as well as a Disaster Recovery Plan. This contains the damage that results from human-caused or natural disasters. And, more importantly, it protects you against the unexpected.
Why?
Understand the Need
Successful companies thrive in the present, but plan for the future. When the here-and-now is going well, it is easy to become complacent and overlook the need for a Business Continuity Plan. If you wait to devise a plan until you need one, it is already too late.
A BCP outlines the steps your company will take immediately following a disaster. Minutes, hours, days…your plan should account for all of the steps you will take to protect your business. Without this, your firm may not survive.
93% of companies that lost access to their data for 10 days or more due to a disaster filed for bankruptcy within one year after the occurrence.
50% of those businesses filed for bankruptcy immediately, according to the National Archives & Records Administration in Washington.
How?
Work With Your Managed Service Provider
Every type of business can benefit from an experienced Managed Service Provider. This provider should offer support on how to develop your Business Continuity Plan and outline the services they will provide in the event of a disaster. Communications, data, applications, and hardware are at the core of your business, and a Managed Service Provider will protect your technology.
What’s next?
Develop, Test, and Update Your BCP
Once you have identified your immediate needs during or after an emergency, you can develop your BCP with the information provided by your Managed Service Provider. Writing a BCP is just the first step, though. Your entire staff must be prepared for a disaster, and mandatory training and testing is needed to spot weaknesses in the plan. Once you feel your BCP is effective and everyone is prepared for a disaster, be sure to avoid falling into a false sense of security. Your BCP should be routinely tested and updated to reflect your current operating systems.
Protect the future of your business. By working closely with your Managed Service Provider, you can rest assured that you are safe when disaster strikes. Get started on your Business Continuity Plan today.
