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Hurricane Preparation for Businesses:
If your customers
can't reach you, will they go to your competition? Most likely.
Don't lose your customers when a disaster happens. Communication
is the key to your business success.
Disasters
come in all forms, hurricanes, electrical storms, power outages,
fires, water damage & so many more.
80% of businesses
affected by a major incident close within 18 months.
You can prevent your business
from being one of them by a preparing ahead.
In 2004 Florida endured a record number of hurricanes with
millions affected by power outages and lost phone service.
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We were able to help businesses, kept their business functioning
and prevented, loss of customers & sales. It's always best to
prepare in advance, but even if you don't we are still available
to assist you.
Click here to get your
Free Business Hurricane Check List.
10 STEPS TO PREPARE
YOUR BUSINESSES
1.
PREPARE A PLAN AND PRACTICE IT!
Plan, prepare and practice. This is the only effective way to
diffuse the impact of a hurricane. Although today’s technology
allows advanced warning of approaching storms, there is little
that can be done to continue business operations if no plan is
in place. This means planning an overall strategy that extends
to all parts of your business. You should consider
identification of critical mission applications, selection of
essential backup data, storage of data offsite,
relocation/placement of end users, remote equipment and access
to that equipment (networking), and identification of key
personnel and beyond (in case these employees are unavailable).
These are fundamental planning elements that cannot be
accomplished when you are under the gun of an impending
hurricane. They should be addressed long before, and remember
PRACTICE makes PERFECT! No plan is effective, if it is not
practiced and properly executed. Organize a planning team of key
individuals within your business. Test your plan. Educate your
team through training, drills, recovery testing and mock
disasters. Your plan is only effective if it can be properly
executed. Consultants are available to assist in this effort
should the basic skills not exist in your company. Print out a
copy of our
Business Hurricane Check List to help you get started, &
remember to plan, prepare, and practice!
2.
DATA BACKUP
Without access to data, business quickly comes to a screeching
halt. Work with your I/S team to ensure that backups are
performed in a timely manner and that they are stored in a
facility that is safe, secure, and dependable. Data Backup is
one of the services we provide in our
Mega-IT program.
Since there is advance warning when a hurricane approaches, it
is important to transport your data quickly and at the first
sign of trouble. Air and freight transportation may likely be
discontinued when a hurricane approaches, so it is important
that you ship your data to an alternate recovery site or secured
facility as quickly as possible. Utilize the warning period.
Hurricanes are the only event that gives you the opportunity to
do this before the disaster strikes.
3.
PROTECT YOUR SITE
Protecting your site facilities and equipment is instrumental in
continuing or restoring operations in the event of a hurricane.
Make sure computers, phones and any other devises are unplugged
before the storm hits. If your computer is on the floor move it
to the top of the desk & cover computers & phones with plastic
to protect them from water damage. Include Uninterruptible
Power Supply (batteries and generators), backup water source and
a supply of gasoline powered pumps to keep the lower levels of
the facility clear of flood waters. Boarding up of windows and
other vulnerable apertures can protect a building from
high-speed flying. If facility shutdown must occur, work with
your team to establish shutdown procedures and ensure that they
are part of your overall recovery plan. Don’t forget to include
post procedures (start-up) to facilitate re-occupation of the
site after the storm has moved on.
4.
OPERATE REMOTELY
Inability to access your facility is a highly probable
occurrence when a hurricane approaches. Roads may be flooded or
closed by authorities. What happens if your phone service is
down? With out communication you can not operate your business.
We have a product called
OfficeByte that many of our customers used after
hurricane Charlie. (http://officebyte.com/drp.htm) They forwarded their phones to our location
and we created a auto attendant that answered in their companies
name. We then forwarded calls to cell phones or home phones,
keeping business operational. Employees may be unable to leave their
homes in a state of emergency or may be unwilling to leave their
families. It is very important to plan for this scenario in
which your business facility is operational but the employees
are unable or unwilling to get there. One way to prepare for
this is to develop a method to operate the critical components
of your business remotely. Most business functions of end users
can be replicated on a computer from the employees’ homes. If
employees must travel away from their homes to a remote
location, address finances EARLY. Have a procedure for cash
advance for travelers. Consider pre-blocking hotel rooms and
opening airline/carrier service expense accounts. Establish
these relationships in advance of an approaching hurricane.
5.
ESTABLISH AN ON-SITE SUPPORT PLAN
Another way to address the problem of access is to prepare a
specially selected team of employees to “camp out” at the
processing facility. This plan would necessarily include the
provisioning of food and water supplies, the acquisition of
sleeping facilities (folding cots or sleeping bags are a few
choices that work), the availability of bathing facilities and
amenities (such as razors, shaving cream, toothpaste, soap, blow
dryers, etc.) and spare clothes for all employees. Some
employers may even choose to provide support for employees’
families while the employee is engaged in business continuity
activities. Employers can provide transportation, daycare, and
lodging to families. Companies may also temporarily relocate
them to areas outside the strike area of the storm.
Employers may even engage outside contractors to look after the
employees’ homes and repair damage so the employee is not
distracted by these concerns. Emergency loans, disaster
assistance funds, and other financial assistance should be
considered for your support personnel. Most importantly, BE
FLEXIBLE! Employee support is instrumental to business success.
If you provide support to your employees, they will be able to
provide support to you and the business.
6.
SECURE A RECOVERY SERVICES PROVIDER
There are two generally accepted methods of planning to recover
and resume business processing at an alternate location. One
involves the use of another computer site within the company’s
enterprise. While this is generally accepted, it does cause
impacts to the other site. Capacity, as well as other concerns
contribute to these impacts. Computer power, network lines, end
user workstations or simply desks, chairs or phone needs are
increased in this scenario. Facilities also may be a constraint.
The second alternate site method is to subscribe with a business
recovery service to provide those resources required at the time
of disaster. The advantage of this approach is that it can be
tested and refined to a level that assures that it will indeed
work when needed. These vendors can also provide other vital
services such as day-to day office operations, printing, check
processing, and mail handling in the event you cannot. Some
providers, such as IBM, even offer business resumption services
which include relocation, construction, emergency repairs,
workplace assessment, legal assistance. If your facility has
structural damage, these services could speed recovery, reduce
your risk, and give you peace of mind. Occasionally, insurance
companies offer discounts on premiums to businesses that
subscribe to these services. The key advantage of securing a
recovery services vendor is that you can continue doing business
seamlessly with the assurance that customer confidence is
maintained.
7.
DECLARE EARLY
During Hurricane Andrew, many businesses waited to act. This
decision proved costly and contributed to the billions of
dollars in costs associated with the hurricane. Businesses
need to declared emergency status well
in advance, activating recovery plans, vendors, and action teams
quickly. Don’t worry or wait. It is important that you do not
hesitate to act. If you subscribe for services through a
recovery services vendor, most providers operate on a first come,
first-served basis. They time stamp all “disaster declarations”
and assign customer facilities in the order in which they are
received. Rather than wait too long and risk being placed in a
facility other than the one you are accustomed to (or being
denied service all together), it is better to contact your
service provider very early on and get yourself at the top of
the list. Don’t allow declaration fees (if your provider
charges them), to inhibit your decision. If this does cause you
to delay action, you should consider another service provider.
Either way, it may be well worth the fee if other subscribers
also declare and exhaust your service provider’s resources.
8.
OUTSOURCE YOUR RECOVERY
Many customers have “outsourced” the process of recovering their
business to the staff of their alternate recovery center. Many
business recovery services providers now offer this service.
Essentially, the subscribers systems, applications and network
are restored and recovered at the alternate site. In addition,
production processing can also be run by the skilled
professionals of the vendor. Many companies use this approach as
a hedge against not being able to get their staff to the
recovery center. Some even monitor the actual recovery and
production processing remotely, assuring that things are going
according to plan. When combined with storing the data near the
recovery site, declaring early can virtually eliminate the
business impact.
9.
IMPLEMENT AN EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGY
Communications are important to any business entity. In the
event of a pending hurricane, it becomes even more crucial.
Communications are needed to coordinate emergency activities, to
implement the recovery/contingency plan, to warn employees of
impending danger, to inform families and off-duty personnel
about what’s happening, to maintain contact with customers and
suppliers, as well as proactively maintain an information line
with the media. You should keep in mind the normal everyday
functions performed by your facility and consider all types of
communications, especially voice and data. Be cognizant of the
impact if communications were inoperable and establish
procedures and action plans to accommodate this occurrence.
Communicate with your communications vendors on options and
alternatives. Establish backup communications and ensure that a
procedure for restoring communication services is in place.
Some communications options include cellular phones, radios,
point-to-point private lines, walkietalkies (check those toy
boxes at home), high-frequency radio, and satellite
communications. Radio and television stations are excellent
community resources in the event of a hurricane. Identify a
communications contact within your company to maintain a
relationship with key stations. They can communicate important
information to your team, customers, and vendors, as well as
report business impact status Be proactive when communicating
with the media. Manage information in and out. It can be the
difference between a negative story and a positive one.
10. EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED
Murphy’s law does apply to hurricanes. Remain flexible and
adaptable. You should also remember that the nature of the
hurricane will influence your recovery direction. The impact of
senior management, customer, and employee decisions (or personal
impacts) may also alter your plans. Try not to make assumptions
and do not hesitate to act. The best defense against the
unexpected is...Prepare, Plan, and
Practice (reference number one). Continuously update your plans
after each practice or recovery activity and capture any lessons
learned. This helps to keep Murphy in check...
As
you can see, business continuity before, during, and after a
hurricane takes preparation. While a hurricane does provide some
advance warning, this warning does not provide enough time to
adequately prepare for continued business continuity.
What is required is a serious, thoughtful and committed approach
to the challenge of recovering your business, whether your
company is in a hurricane risk area or not. Make hurricane
preparedness your business...BEFORE THE WIND BLOWS!
Click here to get your
Free Business Hurricane Check List.
Learn More:
http://officebyte.com/drp.htm
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All statements in this article are recommendations. There are no
reporting requirements, nor will following these principles
ensure compliance with any federal, state, or local codes or
regulations that may apply to your facility. If followed
correctly, they will heighten your businesses continued success
if a hurricane occurs.
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