What Is Your Business Disaster Preparedness Plan?

Did you know that September has been named National Preparedness Month? Is disaster preparedness something you have checked off the list, or something you don’t think you need to worry about?  How long would it take you to restore operations in the event of a disaster?  And a better question…can you afford that amount of downtime? Here is an excerpt from the presidential proclamation naming September National Preparedness Month: “Emergencies come in many forms – from house fires to accidents to hurricanes – and can strike anywhere in America. We cannot always control how, when, or where they occur, but we can prepare practical responses before disasters strike. By discussing with our families, friends, and neighbors how we will protect ourselves and our communities, we can contribute to and share in a stronger, more resilient society. The theme of this year’s National Preparedness Month is “Don’t Wait. Communicate. Make Your Emergency Plan Today.” This month, I encourage all Americans to bolster their readiness in the event of a crisis. To learn more about the disasters common to where you live, the resources available in your area, and how to prepare, visit www.Ready.gov. Most Americans plan at home with at least a basic emergency kit to keep their families safe in the event of a disaster.  A basic home emergency kit might include: *     Water—One gallon per person per day, for at least THREE days *    Food—at least a three-day supply of non-perishable food, and a manual can opener *     A battery-powered radio and extra batteries *     A first-aid kit *     A whistle to signal for help *     Moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties for personal sanitation Disaster preparedness is something most small businesses understand to be important and necessary – just as important as being prepared at home – yet many still haven’t taken the steps needed to continue functioning when any kind of emergency hits, be it local, regional or national.  Instead, many businesses have the equivalent of the basic home emergency kit for their business.  Their data is backed up via tapes, servers, etc.  But the question of how to get to it and keep a business running during an emergency remains unanswered. That’s why it’s important to understand the difference between having your data backed up via a traditional solution and really having a disaster recovery solution in place.  Because the critical difference between the two is the time it takes to recover.  So instead of putting together a basic kit in the form of data backups and calling it a day, what businesses should do is look at putting together an advanced emergency kit.  And how you do that is by having a disaster recovery plan. When you implement a disaster recovery solution before an emergency occurs, you take out the “now what?” factor, and your recovery time is drastically reduced or even eliminated.  That’s because you don’t waste time figuring out how to react to a disaster.  Instead you hit the proverbial button on the disaster recovery plan that you already have, taking immediate action to get back to business as usual. The good news is that with so many affordable Cloud-based solutions available today, planning for an emergency is easier than ever.  Corsica Tech has great experience in implementing DR solutions for businesses of all size and can partner with you to meet the September Emergency Preparedness challenge. You can learn more about overall disaster preparedness planning for your business here, or let the experts at Corsica Tech assess your current status and help you create a Disaster Recovery solution that gives you the peace of mind you need when it comes to maintaining your business during an emergency.  Don’t wait!  Give us a call today at 877-367-9348 or email us at service@corsicatech.com to get started on your Emergency Preparedness plan. Because having a true disaster recovery plan in place is the difference between actually functioning during a disaster, and just recovering from one. Relax.  We’ve Got I.T. Corsica Technologies understands that you need to run your business, not the IT that powers it.  Whether it’s partnering with you to evaluate Cloud-based technologies, protecting your network, or proactively managing the overall health of your IT environment, Corsica’s experts will provide you with the peace of mind that it’s covered.