Weatherproof Your Business
In sports, the best defense is a good offense. When it comes to business and the weather, it’s the exact opposite. How can a small business owner like yourself build a defense against the unpredictability of the weather? Preparedness!
Every year, the U.S. experiences natural calamities which can have a big impact on your business.
- From 1900-2014, the U.S. had 166 floods and 568 storms (Statista, 2014).
- In 2012, the country had 936 tornadoes which is equivalent to $1.6 billion in damages. (Statista, 2014)
- In 2013, deadly weather caused $8 billion in property damage (NOAA, 2013).
- In the first half of 2014, flood-related losses cost an estimated $4.2 billion (CoreLogic via Directionsmag, 2014).
- The recent 2014 snowpocalypse resulted in a 24{61194e7afa0946242429d3457858805d5d8e9f1e3c2fa6ff4cb841084e122ca3} sales-dip across the country, according to a survey conducted by NFIB, Massachusetts Business Roundtable and the Retailers Association of Massachusetts.
The statistics are alarming, and what it means is that you’ll need a weatherproof strategy to protect yourself, your business and your employees. Your action plan should be sustainable, resilient and long-term. Think beyond short-term fixes! We highly suggest taking this two-pronged approach, which includes a disaster recovery plan (DRP) and a business continuity plan (BCP), which you can explore more in this article.
With a DRP and BCP, you can take advantage of what technology has to offer to keep your business stable and profitable even in the middle of a hurricane. These two plans will have you looking into scenarios that range from involving the smallest details to the larger, big picture consequences before, during and after a disaster. This will result in a better chance of your business surviving any calamity (not just the weather).
Business as Usual With Technology
Using remote technology and cloud computing, you can run your business like usual – even from the comfort of your (and your employee’s) own home(s).
Files, emails and data can be easily accessed using desktop computers, laptops, smartphones and tablets. You can stay in touch with your clients and your employees through instant messaging, phone, email and video chat. These technologies not only provide your business with versatility when the weather is bad, they also help in boosting employee productivity.
For continuous success, your DRP and BCP should be regularly tested to check every process from top-down and have them updated accordingly. This ensures that every channel of communication and coordination is working when you really need it to. Personnel training should also be included to ensure that everyone in the team is up to date on the procedures necessary to work through a disaster.
By equipping your employees with the right tools needed to do their job remotely and clear communication lines, you can expect your business to swim through any bad weather with ease.
If you want to know how you can achieve business resiliency through disaster recovery, business continuity and cloud computing just Dynamic Quest a call. We’d be delighted to talk through how these tools might play into your overall business strategy.
