Having a robust Business Continuity Plan intact is just smart business. Think about it, in any type of disaster, from a hurricane, mega earthquake to server failure, how would your business stay intact during a disaster or emergency?
A good place to start would be to find out if the governing association for your particular industry offers some sort of certification that states your business can continue to provide services in the event of a major disaster. This can be a huge tool in your tool box when prospecting new clients and can certainly be a competitive differentiator indeed.
A business continuity certification should definitely indicate that you have met and/or exceeded the highest continuity standards in the following areas:
- Business Practices, Life Safety, Operations (including normal and emergency procedures)
- 24/7/365 preparedness even if you aren’t open
- Proficient recovery techniques
- Personnel hiring practices
- Training and ongoing evaluations through a peer review program focusing on 99.9% annual run time.
Five (5) areas to consider when creating your own business continuity plan:
- Virtualized Servers- It would be important to have servers in a virtualized environment so if any one physical server has issues, the others can manage the load.
- Climate Controlled Environment-Be sure that your server room or area is climate controlled with a separate split air conditioning unit to keep optimal temperatures at all times.
- Alternative Internet Providers-It is advisable to have more than one internet provider, ideally one via an Ethernet loop and one via cable.
- Backup Generator-Have a generator continually running so as to manage any variations of power from your utility provider.
- Remote Staff-you really should have the ability to manage your business from outside of your immediate geographical area.
Direct Line Tele Response has been certified by the Association of Teleservices International (ATSI) with the highest degree of Business Continuity Planning within the Answering Services industry. For more information, contact us at 888-365-2424 or visit our website at www.directlineanswers.com.
