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| DISASTER RECOVERY REQUIRES A PLAN... |
Here's how both business and non-profit leaders can properly prepare for the worst:
1) Create a business continuity plan. Identify what is required to have on stand-by for the basic operations to run without delay. This plan should include the individuals responsible to put the plan in action, named alternate locations, several months (recommended - six) of allocated funds to enable the minimalist approach to operating, and disaster recovery plan for data/storage/servers.
2) Develop a communication plan for employees, customers or donors. Implement a strategy to get the word out to employees who do not need to come into work or telecommute. There should also be a plan to identify who needs to be on-call or readily available at alternate locations. Customers or donors will also need to be sent an email to alert them of the situation and that all precautions have been taken to ensure their personal identifiable information is protected and secure during this transition period. For those expecting pay or assistance, they will need to be informed about how this will work or if there will be any slight delay. This should be clear by understanding the employee, customer, and donor makeup of the entity. (Read Chapters 3 - 5 in my book, Get A Clue - 10 Steps to an Executive IQ).
3) Keep telecommuting options open. Ensure the VPN, firewall, and security measures are offloaded to a third-party agency outside of the company's local area to minimize risk of downtime. Do not expect cell phones to be the only mode of communication. Email and secure messages provided on the company network should be able to continue without interruption.
4) Start moving systems to the cloud. Get over the "I need to keep my data inhouse" syndrome. There are reputable cloud companies that provide storage space, database and business intelligence analytics systems, sales, marketing, inventory, and ordering systems. Identify the systems with the most valuable data and operational impact and create a 3-6 month plan to move that data to a cloud solution.
5) Revamp contracting with government agencies. The post on the 2013 Government Shutdown and the follow-up one on Lockheed Martin furloughs should explain this perfectly. Shore up enough contracts that will allow you to keep people on the bench and still maintain profit in case of issues.
This type of planning needs to be realistic, familiar, tested, and proven. But it can be done as long as it is well-thought out and constantly updated. In the words of John Wooden, "Failing to plan is planning to fail".
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