Each year when businesses are hit with heavy snowfall, it reminds us to consider the plans we have in place to ensure business continuity. Having a contingency plan that includes a cloud-based service and a secondary venue from which to work are the keys to remaining operational in the event of being snowed in.
Here are our top strategies for enabling business continuity during a disaster:
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1. Make Sure Your Help Desk is Prepared
Your IT help desk can be one of the most crucial players during a storm. In order for your help desk to be successful, all staff must be effectively trained and prepared in advance of a potential disaster. To get you started, here are the essential characteristics of an efficient help desk:
- High Availability: ensure at least one member of your IT team is on call at all times. Ensure multiple methods of contact in the event servers go down.
- Understand & Educate on Cloud Solutions: If your team is primarily office-based, most members will need proper training and guidance on how to remotely access their work systems.
- Employee Contact List: Develop an internal contact list with employees' specified emergency contact information, and ensure 24/7 accessibility.
- Familiarize with Your Business Continuity Plan: your IT staff should fully understand protocol in the face of a disaster, and be able to effectively communicate it to the rest of your business.
2. Enable Remote Operations and Productivity
Cloud-based office solutions, such as Office 365, can enable employees to access business-class versions of everyday-use software like Word and Excel, and collaborate from any location, nullifying many of the negative effects of severe travel disruption. Used in conjunction with a cloud storage solution, Office 365 can allow many employees to continue their work unhindered from home or a temporary office.
3. Ensure Foolproof Data Backup & Disaster Recovery
iCorps Guardian ensures redundant levels of protection from data loss including local backups and recovery through onsite image-based backups to an iCorps Guardian appliance and business continuity through backup and disaster recovery in the cloud. Learn more here.
Related Content:
Five Step Vulnerability Analysis for Business Continuity Planning
Three Business IT Disaster Recovery Plan Essentials
15 Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity Stats