Business Continuity: A Cautionary Tale

Transcript

Narrator: Don't be like Unprepared Corp., who sadly do not exist anymore.

They expected to go on in perpetuity, but forgot about their business continuity.

When the weather turned bad with terrible storms, they didn't have a framework, instructions or forms that set out for them what on earth they should do.

The When? and the Where? and the What? and the Who?

They didn't have a list of people to call, so no one knew there was a problem at all. And, as the storm blew all over town, their IT systems quickly went down.

Then, when the fire licked through the roof, they realized how little was fireproof.

They worked hard to reopen, but this was in vain, for six months later, it happened again.

So now that you've heard this cautionary tale, make sure you have a plan and test if it fails. Think through what the worst scenarios could be, and make sure you've got a Plan A, B and C.

Give employees some training on what to do, after you've been struck by a natural disaster. Explain to them what they need to do if there's ever an outbreak of avian flu, or your computers are hacked, or terrorists strike, or vandals break in, in the dead of night.

You need to work out where people should be, so business can carry on seamlessly. Test out your plan, take folk by surprise. The flaws you discover will open your eyes.

And then when your plan is right as rain, revise it and test it, again and again.

That way, you won't be like Unprepared Corp., who used to be great, but now, are no more.

For more ways to disaster-proof your business, see our article Planning for a Crisis.