| Accidents happen! But even minor mishaps can be | | | | resume operations.Operations Continuity - More than |
| major catastrophes for small business owners. Every | | | | DataHaving access to your information is a key |
| year, thousands of companies are unprepared for the | | | | starting point, but business continuity plans need to |
| interruption caused by a minor fire, flood, and burglary | | | | address more than just data recovery. It should also |
| or computer meltdown.According to a recent NFIB | | | | cover how you will continue operations. For example:- |
| National Small Business Poll, man-made disasters | | | | Where will you operate if your office is damaged or |
| affect 10% of small businesses, whereas natural | | | | destroyed? What is the minimum amount of space |
| disasters have impacted more than 30% of all small | | | | you will need? Does your landlord have other property |
| businesses in the USA . Creating, and implementing a | | | | you could move into temporarily? If not, take time now |
| Business Continuity Plan will ensure your business | | | | to research the costs and availability of space at local |
| survives any disaster; man-made or natural.While the | | | | virtual office facilities.How will you finance equipment |
| details of the plan will vary from business to business, | | | | replacement? A good insurance policy will cover the |
| the main elements are the same. A well thought out | | | | cost of replacing office furniture, equipment and other |
| plan begins by evaluating different types of disasters | | | | assets. As part of your contingency planning, review |
| or events. How likely is it to occur, and what are the | | | | and understand your insurance coverage. If you are |
| potential impacts? Hurricanes are unlikely here in Indy, | | | | operating out of your home, talk to your insurance |
| but Tornados and high winds (as evidenced by the | | | | agent. Your simple homeowner's policy may not be |
| damage to the Regions Bank building this spring) are | | | | adequate coverage for your business. If you are |
| very likely.Once you have analyzed the risks, it is | | | | renting, be sure you understand clearly what your |
| easier to outline a plan which will help you resume | | | | landlord's obligations are according to your lease.In |
| operations quickly, take care of clients and employees, | | | | addition to property and casualty insurance, you should |
| and minimize the financial impact of the disaster.What | | | | consider business continuity or loss of use clauses |
| Your Plan Should Include:Information Access - Copy | | | | which provide additional insurance to cover expenses |
| and Store Key FilesFor many small business owners, | | | | such as moving or damages caused by missed |
| the computer is the heart and soul of the business. | | | | deadlines. Talk with your insurance agent regularly to |
| And while we depend heavily on these devises, we | | | | be sure you are adequately protected.- Document |
| know that computers crash, virus' attack, natural | | | | what you own.Even if you have adequate coverage, |
| disasters occur and every user makes mistakes from | | | | most policies require a detailed list of what was lost, |
| time to time. The consequences of inadequate | | | | damaged or stolen. In the event of a disaster, a |
| back-up protection when a failure occurs can be | | | | documented inventory, complete with serial numbers |
| disastrous. Rebuilding financial information, contact lists, | | | | and model numbers, will simplify the process of |
| E-mail records or project files can be time-consuming, | | | | completing insurance forms required to submit your |
| expensive and sometimes impossible.Creating copies | | | | claim. Your disaster planning should include preparation |
| of critical files on a regular basis allows you to resume | | | | of such an inventory, so you do not waste valuable |
| operations quickly after a crisis. How often you need | | | | time after the crisis trying to remember what you |
| to create a back-up depends on how often files | | | | owned. Be sure to update this inventory periodically as |
| change. | | | | you make new purchases for your office.- Who will |
| Some business programs such as ACT and | | | | take care of your customers if you can't? In the event |
| Quickbooks, have a built in back-up function. On a | | | | that you can not complete a project or meet a |
| regular basis, they remind you to create a quick | | | | deadline because of the business interruption, do you |
| back-up copy which can be restored in case of an | | | | have a relationship with someone else who can serve |
| emergency.Other common programs such as | | | | your customers on a short term basis? Negotiating |
| Microsoft Office or Adobe do not include their own | | | | emergency out-source agreements, including pricing |
| back-up. In this case, the responsibility is yours. If you | | | | and procedures, protects your long-term customer |
| are using Windows XP it has a basic program which | | | | relationships by taking care of their needs even when |
| will schedule and run back-ups automatically. If you are | | | | you are not operational.According to the Financial |
| using an older version, you can still manually copy key | | | | Planning Association, of the businesses that suffer a |
| files.In each case the data must go somewhere. While | | | | disaster, 40% fail to reopen and 25% that reopen |
| the programs offer to copy data to another portion of | | | | close within a year. Plan ahead! Disaster may never |
| your hard drive, that won't help if your computer is | | | | strike, and you may never need to execute your plan. |
| destroyed or missing. Important information should be | | | | But if something does happen, a well thought out plan, |
| copied to some type of external media such as a zip | | | | will help you through the transition and increase the |
| disks, CDs or DVDs, tape back-up or external hard | | | | odds that a temporary business interruption does not |
| drive.Store your back-up off-site. Many business | | | | become a permanent one.A twenty-year veteran of |
| owners carefully and diligently copy all key files and | | | | corporate America, Lorraine is an accomplished |
| store the CD's or external hard drive right next to their | | | | marketing professional, who has won regional and |
| computer, but a flood or fire will damage both. Your | | | | national communication awards. She is a certified |
| continuity plan should include an off-site storage | | | | teacher, facilitator and college instructor. Lorraine Ball is |
| location for electronic media. For a small business | | | | a frequent guest panelist featured on "Sound Advice," |
| owner, this can simply mean taking the files home or | | | | the popular online audio program from What's Working |
| trading with a peer, storing their files in your office, and | | | | in Biz.Her articles on marketing, team building, and |
| yours in theirs.A simpler, less tedious or time consuming | | | | business development have been featured in |
| solution is using an on-line backup. For a nominal fee, | | | | Contracting Business, The New York Forum and The |
| on-line back-up solutions allow you to store information | | | | ACH&R News. In addition, her books: "The |
| on a secure, encrypted server. The program will run | | | | Entrepreneur's Notebook" and "The Confessions of a |
| overnight, in the background, as long as you leave your | | | | Networking Junkie" are quickly becoming "MUST |
| computer on. The cost will vary depending on the | | | | READS" for new business owners.Today, her |
| amount of data to be stored. One of the advantages | | | | company, Roundpeg helps small business owners |
| of the on-line system is that your data can be | | | | discover the secrets to big company marketing! |
| transferred via the internet to any location where you | | | | |