disaster will help you to minimize down time and expedite your recovery to normal. When you scan your office operation you must ask yourself what items could I absolutely not do without? What items are absolutely critical to ongoing operations? Additionally who will be available to assist in the aftermath, Will it be up to you alone or will you have help?
Let's look at some of these specific issues.
Power, what is your plan for backup power. Does your building have emergency backup generators? If they do are they diesel or propane fueled? Why ask that fuel question? Well if the generators run on diesel, how long will they run on the existing fuel supply? Is it a number of hours or a number of days? The difference for your operation could be dramatic. If the generator only as enough fuel for x number of hours this may simply be enough to allow you time to power down your computer system and backup data to take with you or store offsite. Or online (a now expanded option). If it is a diesel system once you know the parameters of the fuel supply you should ask the building owner or manager if they have a plan to refuel the generator post disaster. Arrangements for post disaster service should be made well in advance planning.
Computer information as state above is also mission critical. In the recent Katrina disaster one large regional institution with dozens of branches decided, as the storm approached to burns a few CD's and lift the computers from the floor and place them on desks. Not a bad idea except when the water goes to the ceiling level in the rooms. How often do you backup your severs or individual PC's... Is it an automatic network function or are you relying on the last man or woman out to do it daily. If someone is taking the info out the door with them daily. What is your plan to relocate that person post disaster? What method will you use to reach them? Do you have designated meeting place post disaster? Will you try to use cell or email or SMS? What if towers are down or cable interrupted. Have you considered satellite phone? These days prices have fallen dramatically to purchase handsets and airtime may be bought in monthly increments. So there is no need to pay for an entire year or for months when risks may be lower.
A growing choice is to store data on remote servers or online. They may be good choices in a redundant approach to business information management.
Let's talk about phone service. Does your equipment provider have a disaster plan? Ask them... How will they attempt to service their customers Will they bring in additional technicians? Do they have a mutual aid arrangement with other companies at a distance? Or perhaps yours is a national provider who may shift corporate resources. Next ask how service restoration will be prioritized. Ask your service provider if they are able to provide call-forwarding options which you may initiate from a remote location. If clients try to reach you on the phone to no avail what will their options be.
Well it could be signage post disaster, or could be an automated dialer or an email chain. Today one of the most interesting options is broad broadcast sms text messaging. There are a variety of emergency contact providers who can offer redundant systems including, cell, email, sms text, paging etc. The ability to let clients know where you are and how to reach you is an expected level of service today.
What about office equipment. Do you own it or lease it. If your computer, printers copiers etc have been inundated by smoke or water do not despair. Do not throw them out. Do not turn them on. Let's consider water issues first.
Most pc's today could be run thru as car wash on the back of a pickup truck and be salvaged if they are properly cleaned and dried. Likewise if you r unit has been exposed to smoke it may be saved as well. But do not turn it on. Soot acts as an insulator on the wiring building up electrical resistance and heat. So you may think you want to turn it on to check it out. It could seem fine initially but an extended run could cause it to overheat and burn itself out... Specialized disaster service companies should be called in to evaluate, restore equipment as much as possible and recover data. No matter if the pc looks like an over broiled steak on the barbie the odds are in your favor that the data can be recovered.
Back to the issue of ownership. If the equipment you use is leased do not dispose of it post disaster. The lessor may need to recover it in order to file an insurance claim.. Your disposal of it may cause you to inherit liability for recompense.
Paper files, records, contracts other legal documents----you should keep a list of the most essential item
China color readers that you would need to recover,. Many times post disaster the public safety officials may giver you limited access to your property post disaster. Many times they will offer 15 minutes to remove what you need, period. If that was your option would you remember the mist important items, would you remember where they are located. Would you have a method to open locked cabinets? Furthermore who would be allowed to remove them? If you personally were not able to do so. Does someone else have a notarized affidavit to show police or National Guard to verify their right to enter the facility?
Back to the basics. Yes there is still a place for the simple sign. Perhaps you should have signs or banners made in advance of an impending storm that would notify clients how to find you or communicate with you in the aftermath.
Lastly, how about a mutual aid program with someone in a similar business in a different region who could be your backup command center? Many of us have developed friend
China color meterships with other in out trade association over the years,. Perhaps some shared planning could lead to a mutual assistance plan for forwarding data or phone communications for example.
Simply considering these few issues in advance and developing a basic disaster plan will put you mile ahead. Surveys tell us that most small business that are impacted by a major disaster, who have no plan in place close their doors within 24 months a the disaster.
Today there are many planning resource available online for building the basic plan. There are also companies who specialize in disaster plans for business and institutions. New innovative applications provide highly effective tools for web based
China colour testerdisaster planning. The web based function facilitates access by computer or smart phone post disaster. It also provides a printable edition for storage or distribution.
Several web based interactive models are extremely user friendly. They makes it relatively painless to update info regularly with minimal time and instantly transmit the latest plan updates to those who need to be in the know.
David Mistick CPM, CBRM is the President of Circumspex, a robust web based disaster planning application. He has more than twenty-five years experience in property management
