Business continuity and disaster recovery have become big buzz words in the Information Technology field. Ever since 9/11 all the experts say that a good business plan should include a business continuity plan.

It’s funny to hear all the small business owners say they have such a plan, because, when really pushed for the details, most say they are doing backups and that is their plan, or they have an I.T. guy that handles that.

Remember, your I.T. guy is solely concerned with making sure that data is recoverable, if he is at least a good I.T. person). And remember: do not expect your I.T. person to come to you with a plan. You need to either create one with him or ask him to do it for you.

In any case, however it’s done, here are some of the major points that should be considered when creating a business continuity plan.

First, all businesses should evaluate their business and rank all tasks in order of hours, i.e., if something were to happen to the building, how many hours can a business owner afford to not have access to the Internet or not be able to open QuickBooks. This list will determine the most crucial pieces of a business and the order of restoration.

Second, each major business task should create a small list of items or equipment that are required for business continuity, such as a new PC for the front counter or a new saw to cut the product in the back room. This list does not have to be computer-related but should be business unit or task-related. This list will provide a procurement process for going forward.

Third, each business unit should designate a person who will be in charge during a disaster situation. This person will be responsible for deploying

that business unit’s portion of the business continuity plan.

Now that all the leg work is done, an actual document needs to be created. This document will be different for each business and how in-depth it will or should be will vary depending on the business.

For example, a small service-based business may only require that adequate office space be acquired and a new PC be purchased. A large manufacturing business will most likely have a very extensive and in-depth business continuity plan with detail ranging from what person will be responsible for acquiring office space to which person will notify all customers of the outage.

When creating a continuity plan for your business you must think of two things.

· How will we be able to support our customers in the event of a disaster?

· How fast do we need to be up and running? (The answer to this question will dictate whether or not your business will need to seek out some type of disaster solutions before a disaster hits, like a secondary emergency location)

The final step to a good business continuity plan is to test it. If feasible, bring in your staff on a Saturday or Sunday. Declare a disaster and run through the motions of your business continuity plan.

Make sure to fully test the major components such as data recovery from backup and so forth. Also remember to literally take this plan offsite to a secure yet easily accessible location and have it readily available to your key people. It will do no good if it the plan itself burns up when the building burns down.

Many business owners may think they do not need such a plan because their businesses are too small. But remember that no business is too small and that your business is your livelihood. Think of this plan as an insurance policy for your business, because without one your business would most likely never recover from a disaster.

Somewhere in the neighborhood of 90 percent of all businesses will experience a significant data loss or disaster, and those that can not cope or recover will be out of business within five years.

Can you afford to close your business? Can you recover from a loss of data or even worse, a full disaster such as a fire? This is why all businesses small and large need tested business continuity plans.

If you are unsure about taking this project on your own consult an expert. Start with your I.T. person, who typically may have some training on this. Otherwise there are companies out there that specialize solely in creating the needed documents. A quick Google search will most likely lead you to a lot of resources that can be used for your benefit.

Chad Holstead is president of Business Knowledge Systems, LLC. Contact him at 630-357-8385 or at Chad@BKSteam.com