Disaster Recovery Tip #50

Be a Mentor

Here's the dream...One day every business will have a disaster recovery plan. It may sound ambitious, but we believe it. If you're reading this, chances are you believe it too. So let's do something about it.

Recently, Ready.gov launched a new mentoring initiative designed to help business leaders spread the word and give other businesses the tools needed to develop a plan; talk to employees; and protect assets. Click here for details. It's a great resource.

Additionally, on December 15, Agility is hosting a webinar to help educate business leaders on the 10 basics of business preparedness. Including:

• Risk Assessment
• Critical Business Function Identification
• Supply Chain Preparedness
• Crisis Management
• Data Back-up
• Crisis Communications
• Emergency Kit
• Insurance Coverage Assessment
• Alternate Location Planning
• Testing

Disaster Recovery Tip #39

You're Not Alone.

There’s an amazing number of organizations that provide assistance before, during and after a disaster.

Unfortunately, most of us are unaware of who they are and what they can do to help. For example, did you know that the Small Business Administration has provided $47 billion in disaster loans? Did you know that 80% of SBA disaster loans are made to individual homeowners and renters…notbusiness owners? Amazing, right?

Like most things, education is half the battle. The links below will take you to several organizations that can assist you and your company in the event of a disaster. Remember, when faced with a disaster, you’re not alone.

• SBA: Disaster Assistance
• Catholic Charities: 100 Years of Service, Advocacy and Convening
• FEMA: Apply For Assistance
• FEMA: About Disaster Recovery Centers
• DisasterAssistance.gov: Access To Disaster Help And Resources
• About Citizen Corps
• Ready Business: Prepare. Plan. Stay Informed.
• The Institute For Business & Home Safety's DisasterSafety.org
• PrepareMyBusiness.org

Disaster Recovery Tip #32

Speak out.

Besides revolutionizing interpersonal communication, the social media movement has found its way into businesses in a short amount of time. But how can organizations use social media when developing their disaster recovery plan?

Over the next two weeks we'll discuss some ways that you can use free online resources to improve your response during an interruption. This week we're focusing on the public relations benefits that social media can bring.

One thing your business can do immediately is to setup Facebook and/or Twitter accounts, and recommend that all employees, suppliers and even customers follow them. Why? During an interruption, a representative can send out status updates using just a mobile device, and instantaneously bring people up to speed on the operating status of the company. Last year AT&T used Twitter as their primary means of communication with the outside world during a disaster and benefited by being seen as forthcoming and more transparent to their customers. On the flipside, ignoring social media and not using it effectively has the potential to be horribly damaging to a business.

Disaster Recovery Tip #31

Keep learning.

In today's fast-paced environment, it's hard to find time for continued education. But the world of business continuity is constantly evolving and Agility strives to keep you ahead of the pack. That is why we (Agility) offer free educational webinars and other opportunities to hear and learn from some of the best in the business.

Disaster Recovery Tip #22

Prepare your people.

Most of us in Hurricane-prone areas are familiar with how to physically prepare our homes for Hurricane Season, but have you thought of how to prepare your business and your employees? By reviewing your continuity plan regularly and testing critical elements, you will find that your plan stays relevant and your people can perform their responsibilities with more confidence during times of crisis. This is good advice for every business, but even more so for those in regions susceptible to seasonal threats like hurricanes, tornadoes, floods and wild fires.

Agility Disaster Recovery Tip #13

Pay it forward.

Prepare your business financially for long-term interruptions. Encourage direct payroll deposits for all staff in the event that mail is either interrupted or employees are not reachable due to displacement. Business owners should also decide on the levels of accessible cash required to maintain business operations and be able to provide cash advances to employees in dire need.

Agility Disaster Recovery Tip #12

Always evolve.

A recovery plan is not meant to be written, filed away and then forgotten. Review your plan at least quarterly to ensure your recovery preparations are keeping pace with the changing needs of your business. Every time your IT network and hardware change, update your plan. Every time there is an organizational change or you hire new people, update your plan to reflect any changes in responsibilities and contact information. Your company is always evolving, and your recovery plan should keep pace.

Disaster Recovery Tip #9

Who do you depend on?

Now is the perfect opportunity to talk to the businesses and organizations that your company relies on. These could include vendors, suppliers, partners or customers. Take time to evaluate their recovery capabilities following a disaster. Can you count on them to be up and running, back in business as usual, or do they need to work on their own disaster recovery plan? There's no better time than the present to ensure that both of you are prepared, increasing the odds of your mutual success.

Remember, you're only as strong as your weakest link.

Disaster Recovery Tip #7

Lay your cards on the table.

Every test of your recovery plan is a chance to improve it. For your first test, you can find great value in a "Tabletop Exercise." This usually consists of a day-long meeting with the employees that make up your disaster recovery team. The goal is to simulate each of the steps taken during a recovery in order to test the plan, identify shortcomings, and help employees practice their recovery responsibilities.

A tabletop test can be a great way to test your plan without any cost at all. Once your team is confident in their responsibilities and your plan, you can begin adding hands-on elements to your tests.

Medcom overcomes snowstorm’s adversity to keep running

Medcom Professional Services doesn’t have the luxury of taking a snow day.

The Levittown company provides telephone answering services, primarily to doctors’ offices, 24 hours a day and seven days a week.

With so many doctors’ offices closed because of the snow, Medcom’s call volume has skyrocketed.

“We normally answer 4,000 calls a day,” said Chris Bell, Medcom’s president and owner. “Wednesday we had more than 12,000 and today it’s just as busy.”

Bell said it’s been challenge to get the company’s 45 employees into MedCom’s offices in Levittown, Allentown and New Holland near Lancaster.

Tuesday night, he discovered a problem with the company’s back-up generator and was fortunate enough to get a service provider from Cummins Power Systems in Bristol to make an office call. The only problem was the Cummins service man pulled into the wrong parking lot about a quarter-mile away and got stuck in the snow.

“I had to run up there with a snow shovel and help dig him out, and I’m not a spring chicken anymore,” Bell joked.

A bad cell in the generator battery was replaced and sure enough, before the night was over the area lost power. Bell said Thursday afternoon the office was still being powered by the generator.

Bell said he can’t recall a snowstorm this bad since one that hit the region in 1996. Since that time, he said, the technology has advanced to the point that some answering services his company provides can be handled by e-mail. In addition, the company now has employees answering calls from eight remote locations in workers’ homes. “We’ve been relying heavily on the remote locations,” Bell said.

See Full Article Here by John George

Disaster Recovery Tip #6

Ease into testing.

When testing your recovery plan for the first time, simplicity is key. Build out an annual testing strategy and gradually add layers of complexity to your test program each year.

Start by reviewing your written recovery plan with leaders within your company. Walk through a mock disaster scenario and review the responsibilities of key personnel. Once you've established a comfort level, then move on to testing technology, server recovery, and communications.

To learn more about the value of testing view another blog post, "Practice Makes Perfect in Disaster Recovery Planning."

Disaster Recovery Tip #5

Strengthen your plan via testing.

Testing annually is the crux to creating and preserving a viable recovery plan. Test every aspect of your recovery plan, from internal and external communications to regaining power to rebuilding networks. Take the insight gained during this exercise to make your plan stronger, so that when an event does occur your business will recover smoothly and as efficiently as possible.

To learn more about the importance of testing as well as some best practices for getting started, register for our upcoming educational Webinar on February 24th at 2pm EST, "Put your Recovery Plan in Motion – Test it Today!"