Small Business Disaster Planning Guide
S M A L L
B U S I N E S S
DISASTER PLANNING GUIDE Copyright © 2014 SCORE
SPONSORED BY
How to Prevent Data and Document Loss and Keep Your Business Operating
STEP 1:
Identify Risks
Begin by identifying what natural disasters your business and your
Has your small business ever been affected by a natural disaster,
might affect your business and determine which ones are most important to protect against.
remained unscathed until now, severe weather incidents are increasingly affecting all parts of the U.S. From the “polar vortex”
STEP 2:
of all sizes need to be prepared for the worst.
Next, identify which business operations are mission-critical to
Identify Key Business Functions communicate with customers and ship orders in a timely fashion is a critical business operation; so is paying employees and vendors.
of shutting down—either temporarily or permanently. According to the 40 and 60 percent of small businesses never re-open their doors following a disaster. become a statistic. can control whether and how you prepare for one. By developing a comprehensive disaster plan you can on your business and continue to serve clients and customers.
2
Small Business Disaster Planning Guide
are not critical.
STEP 3:
Identify Potential Impact of Disaster Finally, consider how each type of disaster on your list might affect your critical business operations and your business as a whole. If a
Photos Copyright: Fuse/ Thinkstock, BakiBG/iStock/ Thinkstock, sjenner13/iStock/ Thinkstock
A good disaster plan functions and pinpoint the possible impact of disaster on each of these functions and on the business as a whole.
Cover Photos Copyright: sjenner13/iStock/ Thinkstock, Wavebreakmedia Ltd/Wavebreak Media/ Thinkstock, hxdbzxy/iStock/ Thinkstock, hxdbzxy/iStock/ Thinkstock, Jonathan Ross/Hemera/ Thinkstock, Purestock/ Thinkstock, monkeybusinessimages/iStock/ Thinkstock
Prepare for the Worst
More importantly, how would these disruptions impact your business • Lost or delayed sales or income • • • Additional expenses such as outsourcing, hiring temporary employees or paying additional fees to expedite shipments
would have the biggest negative impact. However, your plan should ultimately encompass all the disasters that could potentially affect your business.
private cloud storage solution that ensures compliance with the industry regulations your business needs to follow. The provider should be able to guarantee that sensitive data will be secured, use enhanced IT protocols, and enforce strict access measures to restrict unauthorized users from obtaining sensitive data. Digitizing critical paper documents. Whether your business
Photos Copyright: Purestock/ Thinkstock, hxdbzxy/iStock/ Thinkstock, Timothy Large/Hemera/ Thinkstock
Information, Please accessing your crucial business records and data is essential to That means your disaster plan must also specify how your business will store, protect and retrieve its mission-critical information. before How will you be able to access irreplaceable and information-
Using cloud storage solutions. can access them from anywhere you have a computer, tablet or smartphone and an Internet connection. Security is important
www.score.org
document management system and store them in the cloud. Use your list of mission-critical business functions to help identify • • corporate documentation • customer and vendor contracts • inventory and orders • • employee contact information • vendor contact information • customer contact information Scanning paper business cards is an easy way to create a complete digital directory of business associates. Keep in mind that your Small Business Disaster Planning Guide
3
cards, you give yourself a greater opportunity to maintain “business as usual” with your external partners in the event of a disaster.
All Systems Are Go
Finally, your disaster plan should create systems for communicating, operating and recovering after a disaster.
Communicate an emergency. Figure out a temporary “succession plan” that
Operate location.
roles and responsibilities. Most
in case of a disaster. Develop updated contact lists for all employees. Include a range of alternatives for contacting people, such as email, texting, cell phone numbers and home phone numbers. Keep in mind that phone lines may be down or busy and Internet connections may not be available, so the more options you phone numbers to alternate numbers. Finally, develop a “phone
•
If employees will be using at home or in places such as restaurants and coffee shops,
will spread the word.
shared. This is especially critical if they are using a public,
and vendors. Keep updated contact lists for these partners, again including multiple means of contact such as text, email, business • the contact list.
4
Small Business Disaster Planning Guide
such as instant messaging and/or project
management software
Thinkstock, gece33/iStock/ Thinkstock
projects. Web conferencing solutions enable you to meet with customers, clients and partners no matter where you are, or to hold staff meetings even
proving when you made your claim and when you submitted your documentation. This can be helpful if payments are delayed.
plan, test it thoroughly. Are you able to communicate
Web conferencing tools that let you share documents,
•
Sensitive data should be restricted only to those who truly need access to perform their job functions. Use your emergency organization chart to determine who needs access to what information.
• information and external partner contact information.
Disaster planning is not a one-time activity. Be sure to regularly update your employee and customer contact lists and your organization chart. Test your plan at least once a year, and update it as needed. Meet with your insurance agent annually to
Your Future
wise to give employees hard copies on a USB drive and/or on paper in case they cannot access the Internet in an emergency.
Recover through the mail, which may be susceptible to loss or delay in a scan them in digitally and email them to your insurance company. You can also scan and email any supporting documents. Remember, in the event of a widespread disaster, your insurance company will be dealing with a heavy volume of claims, so www.score.org
Small Business Disaster Planning Guide
5
B U S I N E S S
DISASTER PLANNING GUIDE Copyright © 2014 SCORE
SPONSORED BY
How to Prevent Data and Document Loss and Keep Your Business Operating
STEP 1:
Identify Risks
Begin by identifying what natural disasters your business and your
Has your small business ever been affected by a natural disaster,
might affect your business and determine which ones are most important to protect against.
remained unscathed until now, severe weather incidents are increasingly affecting all parts of the U.S. From the “polar vortex”
STEP 2:
of all sizes need to be prepared for the worst.
Next, identify which business operations are mission-critical to
Identify Key Business Functions communicate with customers and ship orders in a timely fashion is a critical business operation; so is paying employees and vendors.
of shutting down—either temporarily or permanently. According to the 40 and 60 percent of small businesses never re-open their doors following a disaster. become a statistic. can control whether and how you prepare for one. By developing a comprehensive disaster plan you can on your business and continue to serve clients and customers.
2
Small Business Disaster Planning Guide
are not critical.
STEP 3:
Identify Potential Impact of Disaster Finally, consider how each type of disaster on your list might affect your critical business operations and your business as a whole. If a
Photos Copyright: Fuse/ Thinkstock, BakiBG/iStock/ Thinkstock, sjenner13/iStock/ Thinkstock
A good disaster plan functions and pinpoint the possible impact of disaster on each of these functions and on the business as a whole.
Cover Photos Copyright: sjenner13/iStock/ Thinkstock, Wavebreakmedia Ltd/Wavebreak Media/ Thinkstock, hxdbzxy/iStock/ Thinkstock, hxdbzxy/iStock/ Thinkstock, Jonathan Ross/Hemera/ Thinkstock, Purestock/ Thinkstock, monkeybusinessimages/iStock/ Thinkstock
Prepare for the Worst
More importantly, how would these disruptions impact your business • Lost or delayed sales or income • • • Additional expenses such as outsourcing, hiring temporary employees or paying additional fees to expedite shipments
would have the biggest negative impact. However, your plan should ultimately encompass all the disasters that could potentially affect your business.
private cloud storage solution that ensures compliance with the industry regulations your business needs to follow. The provider should be able to guarantee that sensitive data will be secured, use enhanced IT protocols, and enforce strict access measures to restrict unauthorized users from obtaining sensitive data. Digitizing critical paper documents. Whether your business
Photos Copyright: Purestock/ Thinkstock, hxdbzxy/iStock/ Thinkstock, Timothy Large/Hemera/ Thinkstock
Information, Please accessing your crucial business records and data is essential to That means your disaster plan must also specify how your business will store, protect and retrieve its mission-critical information. before How will you be able to access irreplaceable and information-
Using cloud storage solutions. can access them from anywhere you have a computer, tablet or smartphone and an Internet connection. Security is important
www.score.org
document management system and store them in the cloud. Use your list of mission-critical business functions to help identify • • corporate documentation • customer and vendor contracts • inventory and orders • • employee contact information • vendor contact information • customer contact information Scanning paper business cards is an easy way to create a complete digital directory of business associates. Keep in mind that your Small Business Disaster Planning Guide
3
cards, you give yourself a greater opportunity to maintain “business as usual” with your external partners in the event of a disaster.
All Systems Are Go
Finally, your disaster plan should create systems for communicating, operating and recovering after a disaster.
Communicate an emergency. Figure out a temporary “succession plan” that
Operate location.
roles and responsibilities. Most
in case of a disaster. Develop updated contact lists for all employees. Include a range of alternatives for contacting people, such as email, texting, cell phone numbers and home phone numbers. Keep in mind that phone lines may be down or busy and Internet connections may not be available, so the more options you phone numbers to alternate numbers. Finally, develop a “phone
•
If employees will be using at home or in places such as restaurants and coffee shops,
will spread the word.
shared. This is especially critical if they are using a public,
and vendors. Keep updated contact lists for these partners, again including multiple means of contact such as text, email, business • the contact list.
4
Small Business Disaster Planning Guide
such as instant messaging and/or project
management software
Thinkstock, gece33/iStock/ Thinkstock
projects. Web conferencing solutions enable you to meet with customers, clients and partners no matter where you are, or to hold staff meetings even
proving when you made your claim and when you submitted your documentation. This can be helpful if payments are delayed.
plan, test it thoroughly. Are you able to communicate
Web conferencing tools that let you share documents,
•
Sensitive data should be restricted only to those who truly need access to perform their job functions. Use your emergency organization chart to determine who needs access to what information.
• information and external partner contact information.
Disaster planning is not a one-time activity. Be sure to regularly update your employee and customer contact lists and your organization chart. Test your plan at least once a year, and update it as needed. Meet with your insurance agent annually to
Your Future
wise to give employees hard copies on a USB drive and/or on paper in case they cannot access the Internet in an emergency.
Recover through the mail, which may be susceptible to loss or delay in a scan them in digitally and email them to your insurance company. You can also scan and email any supporting documents. Remember, in the event of a widespread disaster, your insurance company will be dealing with a heavy volume of claims, so www.score.org
Small Business Disaster Planning Guide
5
