Disaster Recovery Plan For Your Business?

Calibre Designs · #1 (**permalink**) 15-03-2008, 10:51

Just wanted to start a topic to discuss Disaster Recovery plans for your company. Do you have one? Do you think it's important to have one?

In brief :

We are always trying to improve our disaster recovery plan in case a serious problem occurs that could disrupt the normal working service that we provide.
In situations like : flooding, fire, serious computer malfunction, IT security etc.

To achieve the best recovery, you need to get things going with minimum time, minimum disruption and at minimum cost.

Work is backed up on a regular basis
Backup is stored off site
Resources are not all in one place
Files are never near ground level
Fire alarms are regularly checked
What else?

Start

This sounds stupid but first consider what you need on a daily basis in order your work can be carried out in the normal way. Assets to the company. Look around you. What can you do without? Prepare a comprehensive list.

Assessment

Try to carefully think of ways to protect any given situation by looking through the list you have made above. Involve everyone in the company to be involved so they are made aware of the impact it may have on the business should something bad happen.

Plan

Now you can plan, develop, implement and test your ideas. Formalise a written process. Audit the system regularly. Improve, improve and improve.

Nicksyb · #2 (**permalink**) 15-03-2008, 11:18

Is it wrong to say hide under my duvet and cry

On a serious note I need to look at mine just in case my computer goes belly up.

Calibre Designs · #3 (**permalink**) 15-03-2008, 13:34

I wish it was that simple. Lots of businesses go bankrupt for the very reason that they were not able to survive after a major disruption to their normal practice.

Indizine · #4 (**permalink**) 15-03-2008, 14:01

There is external disaster, so such as flooding, explosion, etc, and there is also personal disaster, so we should also consider contingency planning for if something should happen to us personally, such as accident and hospitalisation, or God forbid, death.

We would be leaving behind a right mess for our family if our records were not up-to-date especially for accounts; banking, vat, tax, etc. Then continuation of services for customers with existing orders in place. Also, for those who have staff, what about interim management if you are unable to work.

More serious stuff, what about a will? Who will you leave your business to and in the capable hands of? If you have no automatic next of kin such as parents, adult children or a spouse, then consider what could happen to your business should something happen to you. Do you want it to pass on to certain people to run, sell or close down?

Manda · #5 (**permalink**) 15-03-2008, 14:26

I was discussing this with my husband and it concerns me that as a sole trader we are at great personal risk if something goes wrong, we have insurance policies in case of death, we keep each other in to loop on email passwords and such like but I do worry.

Also I'm not sure if this comes in to this category but how can we limit the personal risk to ourselves from problems with the business- I should probably start another thread on this.

Indizine · #6 (**permalink**) 15-03-2008, 14:30

Yes Manda, please do start any offshoot threads, as well as building the numebr of threads for our new forum, it will no doubt create a lot of interest as a subject on its own.

Manda · #7 (**permalink**) 15-03-2008, 14:39

Will collect my thoughts (it's a bit like trying to catch snowflakes

) and start a new thread

Inzvestor · #8 (**permalink**) 15-03-2008, 14:57

Great subject !

2 links that may be of interest

1 - example of a Disaster Recovery Plan
http://www.wiltshire.gov.uk/business...nuity-plan.pdf

2 - Small Business advice on Disaster Recovery or Contingency Planning
http://www.computerweekly.com/Articles/2007/09/17/220521/disaster-recovery-planning-for-smbs.htm

boxby · #9 (**permalink**) 15-03-2008, 15:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nicksyb

Is it wrong to say hide under my duvet and cry

On a serious note I need to look at mine just in case my computer goes belly up.

My computer has gone belly up it's probably had the reverse of the desired effect and made me very complacent. This is a good thread. I will now add "disaster recovery plan" and "business interuption insurance" to my todo list (book).

Thanks
Sandra

Fuzzy · #10 (**permalink**) 30-03-2008, 20:50

I have learnt from personal experience :sad1:.
Great thread Kay!