Storm Eunice brought us the worst winds in the past three decades, leading to widespread disruption of travel, school closures and massive power outages. Businesses were forced to deal with the disruption to both their teams and their customers. If you found that your company was struggling to keep going, it’s time to think about business continuity, and disaster recovery.
What is business continuity, and what is disaster recovery?
Business continuity is the plan that businesses decide upon ahead of time for emergency situations, like Storm Eunice and Covid-19. This plan is something that both management and employees are aware of, as it tells everyone within your company how you will carry on functioning as a business in the wake of a disaster or crisis.
Disaster recovery is the part that comes next. This is the plan that businesses have for how to recover after that disaster, and how to get back to the point they were at prior to the disaster occurring, from an operational standpoint. With a disaster recovery plan, businesses know exactly how they intend to return to normal, for their teams and their staff.
Which does your business need?
Your business needs business continuity and disaster recovery in order to be prepared for a disaster or emergency. Business continuity is vital as it means that you have a plan for how you will still offer your products or services to customers, rather than business coming to a screeching halt. Disaster recovery is essential because it means that you know how to get your company back up and running, in the way that you would normally operate.
As the pandemic illustrated, businesses that aren’t prepared for the worst are less likely to survive in the long run. It is important that you discuss business continuity and disaster recovery ahead of time so that your business isn’t left struggling to stay afloat.
What are your options for business continuity and disaster recovery?
For business continuity, being ready and able to work remotely can solve a huge host of problems. Storing your data in the cloud, rather than using a local server which is stored in your office, means that employees can work from anywhere. Staff can then access all of their applications, data and files anywhere with an internet connection.
If your business needs to be able to receive phone calls, implementing a cloud telephone system means that your employees are able to take calls for your business even when they aren’t in the office. VOIP, or Voice Over Internet Protocol, means that you’re able to take calls regardless of the location.
Another great service for companies thinking about business continuity is Microsoft Teams. Microsoft Teams is available as part of Microsoft 365, a monthly subscription service which allows staff to host meetings and conferences, collaborate on projects, and access the full Microsoft Office suite from anywhere.
In regard to disaster recovery, one of the key things to consider is how to resume working if your systems and servers have gone down. Businesses should also think about the backup system that they use, what it needs to include, and how often the backup needs to occur. Businesses should also think about whether these are cloud-based, or stored on physical servers.
Want to talk about business continuity and disaster recovery? Give us a call on 0191 482 0444
