Jason H. Smith
BuyerZone Editorial Staff
Does your business focus on disaster preparedness plan development? Does it address the impact of both natural disasters like hurricanes and man-made threats like computer viruses or terrorist attacks? If not, you’re certainly not alone. Many businesses overlook disaster preparedness plan development, or simply assume it couldn’t happen to them.
Just look at a few key statistics:
- A 2006 AMR Research study showed that only 32% of businesses have a disaster preparedness plan in place.
- According to a Harris Interactive survey in 2004, 54% of executives from Fortune 1000 companies admitted to having a technology disruption because they weren’t adequately prepared.
- KPMG Risk Advisory Services and Continuity Insights Magazine conducted a 2005 survey that reported 43% of businesses damaged in a disaster close for good.
According to the Small Business Association, the best way to reduce the disruptions caused by catastrophes is to be aware of the potential impact long before it happens. By the time you can see a serious problem developing, it's probably too late to take many of the important steps to protect your business.
Effective disaster preparedness plan development
Well-organized disaster preparedness plan development should provide for employee safety measures, protection of your facilities and equipment, and getting back to business after a disaster strikes (see Disaster Preparedness Information Tips.)
In addition to planning, you may also want to consider a few important business purchases. Here's a look at several products and services that can help better prepare you for potential disasters:
An electric generator helps your business maintain operations when power goes out. It allows things like refrigeration or security systems to stay up and running, preventing thousands of dollars in losses. And special safety features such as automatic shutdown will help prevent injuries as well as damage to your generator.
If you don’t already have business insurance, it’s one of the most important steps you can take for disaster preparedness plan development. Business insurance offers significant protection to keep your company afloat during interruptions to your operations. It can also help you rebuild after a disaster and put your business back together.
Solid steel storage containers allow you to stock up on emergency supplies. Storage containers are both fireproof and weather-proof, and provide instant storage capacity for a variety of emergency items, food and water supplies, and tools if disaster strikes. They can also store backup copies of documents or even excess inventory to fulfill orders even after a disaster hits.
An access control system does more than just allow employees to enter and exit secure areas. In the event of a power outage from a heavy storm or natural disaster, access control hardware will keep doors locked from the outside (to protect your premises) or unlocked completely (to make sure personnel can get in and out safely), depending on your security requirements.
Remote backup is an essential part of disaster preparedness plan development in which a secure off-site location backs up and stores your critical computer files. This protects your data from viruses or worms, as well as power outages or physical damage to your servers due to severe weather or fire. If your data gets corrupted or lost, you can simply access a clean copy of the most recent version once your systems are back up and running.
Commercial safes are simple solutions to protect documents, media, or even petty cash. These steel case safes are both fireproof and waterproof and will keep important information and valuables protected if you ever need to quickly evacuate your office because of a disaster.
Additional disaster preparedness plan development purchases
Anticipation is a big part of solid disaster preparedness plan development. Here are a few more purchasing tips that could help better prepare your business for a disaster.
- If your facilities are unavailable after a disaster, consider a temporary solution like an office trailer to keep business operational as you rebuild.
- Most monitored alarm systems come equipped with 24-hour cellular backup that immediately kicks in if you lose power or your phone lines are cut.
- Let your customers know your business was affected by a disaster by hiring an email marketing service to send out updates to your suppliers and clients.
Emergency Disaster Preparedness Tips
- For additional disaster preparedness information for small business owners, the Institute for Business and Home Safety (IBHS) and the Small Business Association (SBA) offer a free downloadable guide.
- Make sure employees know where all emergency exits are in the building and plan meeting areas for potential evacuations. Conduct evacuation drills regularly to make sure everyone has a plan for leaving the building safely and quickly.
- Maintain good relationships with other local businesses. If your office is badly damaged by a disaster, they may be able to provide you with temporary office space while you rebuild.
- Always have a list of emergency phone numbers on hand with multiple hospitals, poison control centers, and ambulance companies. Keep a copy in your wallet, or program into your cell phone or PDA.
- Make sure you have one to two employees that are trained in CPR and first aid so you have someone to rely on in case of an emergency until professional help arrives.
