Help Your Clients Plan for the Unplanned

In the case of a disaster, failing to plan may be planning to fail

Disasters like hurricanes and floods are beyond anyone's control. Preparing beforehand is anything but. Comprehensive, detailed disaster-or continuity-planning is essential for any business—and it means a lot more than having a flashlight and an extra set of batteries on hand. Chances are good you're prepared, but does that go for your clients and prospects? Here's a checklist you can share to help them deal with disaster before it deals with them.

Create a thorough disaster plan—This should outline every step necessary to deal with a disaster. For example, who's in charge of evacuation or of securing critical documents? Make a list of necessary phone numbers and e-mail addresses. Offer to review your clients' plans to see if any technical steps or solutions have been overlooked.

Quantify disaster reaction—Disaster preparedness means being specific about what needs to be done in the event of a serious mishap. Suggest that your clients create timeline benchmarks. For instance, how soon do they want to up and running, at least in part? When do they want to be fully operational? Identify ways you can help them meet those goals. 'Plan ahead of time what your recovery points and time objectives are,' says David Brown, president of Datotel, a St. Louis technology management concern. 'That way, the technology solutions match the business goals.'

Back up data off-site (and intelligently)—Data may by the most critical part of the recovery equation, as it contains the history of your business, your transactions, financial information and more. While it's always critical to back up data on-site, it's solid practice to back up all company data on a site that's separate from your business as well. Take that wisdom a step farther and make sure what's backed up is genuinely useful. For instance, a monthly backup schedule is of little use for a company that needs information that's at most two weeks old. 'You need to know exactly what it is that will keep your business going,' says disaster recovery and preparedness authority Brace Rennels.

Address employee needs—Disaster recovery isn't specific to a physical place of business. Make sure your clients' planning covers personnel issues. For instance, urge them to talk to another company beforehand about letting employees work from their location temporarily in the event that their business site becomes unusable. Alternatively, they can look into telecommuting arrangements where personnel can work from home. Point out technical solutions that can help either off-site work option.

Be financially prepared—In the face of a disaster, cash is king. Clients should have an adequate line of credit established with their bank. Another option is to earmark a specific emergency fund that can only be tapped in the event of a severe situation. It's also worth considering business interruption insurance, which can keep employees and vendors paid during a stoppage.

Practice, then practice some more—Even the best disaster-preparedness scheme can go awry if no one's actually ever done what they're expected to do. Encourage a physical run-through of an evacuation to make sure everyone and everything get out safely. Check backup networks to see how quickly they can access critical data.

Any sort of disaster can prove an enormous challenge to any business, but it need not be completely destructive. Planning in advance and in detail can help clients mitigate the sting of even the nastiest of misfortunes—and get them back to doing business with you that much more quickly.

To help your clients learn more about business continuity planning, recommend they check out the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Ready.gov site, the Coordinating Committee of New York's Disaster Planning, Emergency Preparedness & Business Continuity's free download and the wide range of information and case studies available at RiskINFO's Contingency Planning and Disaster Recovery site.