In Part 1 of our blog covering catastrophic events that can harm or destroy a business, we covered many of the different types of disasters, both natural and manmade which can take a business to its knees. In Part 2, we focus on prevention and responding to unavoidable catastrophes with best possible outcomes in mind. Planning in advance is everything.
Companies Must Plan For Disaster
So we see that disasters can occur anywhere without warning, so business organizations that want to be around for the long-term should know their risks and prepare.
Business Continuity
According to CIO magazine’s How to create an effective business continuity plan,
Business continuity refers to maintaining business functions or quickly resuming them in the event of a major disruption, whether caused by a fire, flood or malicious attack by cybercriminals. A business continuity plan outlines procedures and instructions an organization must follow in the face of such disasters; it covers business processes, assets, human resources, business partners and more.
Getting Started With a Continuity Plan
First, it’s important to note that a Continuity Plan should not be confused with a Disaster Recovery (DR) Plan. A DR plan focuses on restoring IT and Operations after a crisis. A DR is important but is just one part of a business continuity plan. A continuity plan considers the continuity of the entire organization.
CIO magazine advises starting by assessing your business processes, determining which areas are vulnerable, and the potential losses if those processes go down for a day, a few days or a week. This is essentially a Business Impact Analysis.
A Continuity Plan involves six general steps:
- Identify the scope of the plan.
- Identify key business areas.
- Identify critical functions.
- Identify dependencies between various business areas and functions.
- Determine acceptable downtime for each critical function.
- Create a plan to maintain operations.
(source: CIO magazine online)
Don’t forget the disaster recovery plan which is part of the continuity plan. Consider the following:
Think Avoidance—You can prevent some disasters from happening in the first place by implementing and installing fire prevention and safety systems, alarms, intercoms for communicating to all employees, internet security software and strong software management using a VPN (virtual private network) and monitor for impending weather incidents. Companies should address all areas where they are at risk and conduct regular audits and system checks in an effort to prevent some disasters at the outset.
Reaction Plans and Evacuation—If a disaster does occur, have a plan for how company leaders, technology officers, and employees are to respond. If an earthquake hits, you may not be able to count on emergency responders to get to you worksite if roadways are closed due to fallen buildings and landslides. Have a backup plan and encourage your employees to take CPR training and have emergency medical supplies at your workplace.
The larger your organization, the more important you should have designated “disaster leaders” scattered throughout your facility to guide employees to primary and secondary evacuation routes and exits, to protective tornado shelters, fire safe places, or to instruct them on leaving the premises. Include individuals in need of assistance in your emergency preparedness guide.
Protect Your Physical and Intellectual Property—Again, the larger your workforce, the more protection you should undertake. Consider hiring outside security firms to patrol and monitor your entire property.
Protect vital business records. Keep your most important documents in a premium industry tested safe that has been tested as being resistant to fire, heat, burglary tools and torches. Create backup copies of critical data and programs. Keep the back-up copies in a location separate from your primary facility. Store back-up documents in the cloud. Establish a VPN for greater security. Get up-to-speed on the latest cybercrime and industrial espionage security.
Have A Communications Plan—Use multiple forms of communicating emergency messages to employees via email, text voice, which allows you to simultaneously send a voice message to everyone’s office phone and cell phone. Install intercom systems for broadcasting messages to all people on your property at once. Install alarms throughout your entire facility and test them regularly. Realize that in some disasters, cell phones and email can be rendered useless due to jammed cell phone traffic and internet cable and power outages. Sometimes it can days to communicate. Have a plan for ZERO communications.
Plan For Communications—Develop several ways to alert employees of an emergency, Lewis says. For instance, you may use email blasts, text blasts and voice broadcasting, which allows you to simultaneously send a voice message to everyone’s office phone and cell phone. Also, install alarms throughout the building and test them regularly. For retailers and other businesses that often have customers on site, consider installing intercoms to issue instructions to staff and customers at the same time.
Keep Updated Emergency Contact List—Have contact number and email addresses for emergency responders (fire, ambulance, hospital, police, coast guard) disaster relief agencies, insurance companies, customers, suppliers, distributors, technology partners, etc. Keep an extra copy off site.
Have On-Hand Emergency Supplies—Stock up on first-aid supplies, flashlights, battery-powered radios, tool kits, batteries, nonperishable food, and bottled water and ensure they are all easily accessible, openable, operational, and plentiful.
Consider A Work From Home Plan—If you are in a blizzard or flood situation, it would pay for you to have all managerial, customer support and office personnel have work from home capabilities in the event that nobody can reach the worksite for an extended period of time. Have all pertinent employees test out there home office in advance to know what they can and are unable to do remotely. This will enable some that still have home communications to be able to connect with customers, suppliers and other company officials for emergency communications and continued work.
Plan For Catastrophe—Above all else, plan for catastrophe. Involved all employees at every level of the organization to know how to respond to most any event, and what company leaders they should report to. Plan ahead, test, rehearse, drill, practice, supply and implement. If you have a cyber attack and numerous customers are affected, know what PR firm you are going to employ that specializes in catastrophic response messaging to handle your communications with the media and the public.
Catastrophic events have a low probability of occurrence but can have devastating and deadly consequences when they happen. Winners plan for every contingent.
For more information download the free pdf from FEMA: Every Business Should Have A Plan