Disaster Recovery/Business Continuity: How IT Can Help Your Business Survive a Crisis

November 17, 2009 – The success of your business is dependent on the productivity of your workforce. One of the keys to maintaining employee productivity is the ability to continue business operations during a crisis situation. Today, the word disaster makes many people think of events in distant parts of the world, but in fact it should be defined as anything that impacts your standard business processes in a negative way. There are major crises that should be covered within the scope of your Business Continuity/Disaster Recovery Plan, and others that have smaller impact but can occur with greater frequency. Crises can be brief, such as a blizzard or severe weather, or long in duration such as a pandemic outbreak that could last for months.

The success of your business is dependent on the productivity of your workforce. One of the keys to maintaining employee productivity is the ability to continue business operations during a crisis situation. Today, the word disaster makes many people think of events in distant parts of the world, but in fact it should be defined as anything that impacts your standard business processes in a negative way. There are major crises that should be covered within the scope of your Business Continuity/Disaster Recovery Plan, and others that have smaller impact but can occur with greater frequency. Crises can be brief, such as a blizzard or severe weather, or long in duration such as a pandemic outbreak that could last for months.

Right now, you may be asking yourself: “Do I really need a Business Continuity/Disaster Recovery Plan?” The quick answer is yes, you need a plan if you want to stay in business following a crisis or emergency. Statistics have shown that 40% of businesses never reopen following a disaster. Of the ones that do, an estimated 25% of them close their doors within two years time. Statistics also show that 50% of businesses are affected by server failure at some point, and nearly all businesses experience loss of utilities from time to time.

The goal of a Business Continuity/Disaster Recovery Plan is to help your business minimize its risk through upfront mitigation and post-disaster recovery. Much like insurance, Business Continuity Planning is an investment that you realize the value of when you – and your company – truly need it. The following best practices provide a fresh look at Business Continuity/Disaster Recovery Planning and the steps that should be taken to deal with common crisis situations that have the potential to impact your business on a regular basis.

Communicating to Employees

The first step is to identify how you will communicate the emergency situation to your employees. You should identify a person who is responsible for “making the call” regarding the nature and type of emergency and is empowered to notify employees when conditions warrant. This person should determine the level of crisis and what the next steps will be. You should have a plan to inform employees of the situation both during work hours as well as non-working hours. Ideally you will want to use a few different means of communication such as broadcast voicemails, email, SMS messages (text messaging), and a phone number that employees can call to obtain additional information. Once the level of crisis is determined and communicated, you will need to estimate the duration of the situation. For example, severe weather and power outages are usually short in duration. Alternatively, a flu pandemic such as H1N1 can last significantly longer, and would therefore require a different type of plan.

Short-Term vs. Long-Term Emergencies

For short-term emergencies, you will want a way to inform your employees of the status of work – will business be open that day and operational, will a skeleton crew be required, or will the facility be completely closed. To keep business running for a short duration emergency employees will probably need to access key business information and have the ability to respond to incoming requests from customers. Remember to also test your VPN, and make sure all employees know how to use it.

For longer term situations such as a pandemic, you can expect that at any point during the 6-8 week peak duration of the outbreak approximately 40% of your workforce will be out of the office. Excessive absenteeism has its own challenges including information transfer between employees, productivity issues and interrupted supply and delivery to the business. Keep in mind that your business partners may face similar challenges and this can also impact your business.

The Human Side of Crises

You must also consider the human side of a crisis, such as employees being hesitant to travel to areas more severely affected by a pandemic. Sometimes leveraging a remote solution instead of a business trip or on-site presentation can be the wise decision. There are many remote meeting solutions available such as Web and Video conferencing, as well as traditional conference calls. These solutions offer your employees peace of mind during times of crisis, and have the additional benefit of reducing your business costs for travel to customer’s locations.

Many businesses have taken steps to ensure that their workforce remains both happy and productive by offering flexible hours and work from home policies. These types of policies can offer you a way to keep your business operational while still meeting the needs of your employees and their families. Several studies indicate that employees who are provided with flexibility in where and when they work are not only more productive, but have greater job satisfaction and company loyalty then employees who are not provided these options.

To Plan or Not to Plan

Planning ahead is the most important step in handling business crisis situations. Who makes the decisions when a business crisis is identified, how do you communicate the emergency situation to your employees, and how you empower your staff to continue to perform their job duties even when they cannot be in the office are decisions that every business owner must make. Not making these decisions can result in confusion, frustration, and productivity loss from your staff when a crisis hits, and the cumulative impact to your business can be considerable. By being prepared you can help ensure that your business minimizes the level of productivity loss that is inevitable whenever a crisis situation arises, and can ensure the viability of your company during the crisis and beyond.

Businesses Will Always Look to IT for Solutions

Business Continuity Planning is something that organizations of all sizes and in all industries must take seriously. In order for a business to survive and recover from any type crisis – flu outbreak, power failure, loss of data – preparedness is not only appropriate, it’s essential. And it serves as another opportunity to reaffirm IT’s value and get closer to the business.

By starting small and following a systematic approach to a Business Continuity Plan, any business can take what appears to be an overwhelming task, and turn it into an efficient and productive exercise.

About the Author:

Jim Lippie is president of Staples Network Services by Thrive. Staples Network Services by Thrive is a Staples business that provides small-and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) with access to a full range of IT services.

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