Protecting your business...
Disaster Management
There are multiple plans which a company should put in place for a successful disaster management recovery procedure. These plans include a disaster recovery plan, a contingency plan, and a crisis management plan. The disaster recovery plan will deal with the recovery of critical technology and business operations. The contingency plan provides a plan that will allow the business to resume operations on a minimum basis to ensure that operation is not completely stopped. Finally, the crisis management plan will deal with public outsources, staff, legal procedures, and the media.
Disaster Recovery Plan
There must be a level of commitment as well as financial, human, and other resources that will be required solely for the purpose of having a plan for recovery if needed. The next step would be planning and identifying the possible impact of disastrous events. To do this there must be an in-depth understanding of the business and possible threats which could include natural and manmade threats. Once all possible risks have been identified, it is now time to find out how each risk or threat will be handled. These plans could include a detailed list of task management, resources, and a plan with the identification of priorities. Most likely someone from each operation will be involved In this process. After having been created, the team should have meetings on how the process will unfold so that if others need to be trained that precaution has been established. There should also be mock events scheduled so that operations run smoothly if anything were to happen. Disaster can come out of nowhere, so it is important to revisit the plans as policies change and the technology is updated. This will prevent loopholes and untrained mistakes from occurring. Sometimes a company will offer to do this for a fee. Rowe Group is one of those companies that have a skilled team for matters such as this.
Contingency Plan
If your company uses vendors, it is important to get in contact with them during this time to inform them of any necessary changes. Some companies may choose to stockpile certain items depending on what they do. Some vendors do offer an insurance plan that will cover the costs of materials that are lost, stolen, or damaged. At this point, it is important to determine if your site is a hot site, cold site, or mobile site. A hot site is a business that has everything they need. In this case, the system can often be pre-loaded and communication can open within a few hours. However, to have a site like this tends to be expensive. A cold site is a second-place setup that is semi-ready to go. Only the basic infrastructure is in place. The process of getting things going on a site like this would take a few days.
Crisis Management
The crisis management team will oversee the overall management of both plans. They will make sure everything is set up and take care of any statements that must be publicly addressed. They will also oversee communication with the staff of the company. When a disaster hits, it is not only the company itself that is affected but the employees and their families as well. Having a plan in place is always important even if you may never use it. It is smart to check on the plan and make updates as time passes. It is better to be safe than sorry. If there happens to be no place in the plan, then it could take months to get the business back up and running, especially if the cause is an environmental disaster. It will take longer to put everything back into place because your company would not be the only one affected.
