At the heart of every small business is the drive to succeed and to provide a continuous service to your customers. Many small businesses can become overwhelmed when thinking about how to both set up and then implement a disaster recovery plan. There are many factors to consider, including knowing where and how to start.

Below we share exactly what a disaster recover plan is, what disaster recovery means for the small business and five tips that will help you set up a disaster recovery plan for your small business.

What is disaster recovery?

This is when procedures, tools and policies are created and then implemented to aid with the continuation or recovery of vital information, after a disaster. This then enables you to carry on delivering a service or product. The disaster may be a natural one, or human in nature. Even though a business may be severely disrupted as a result of this disaster, it should still be able to function when a disaster recovery plan is in place

Disaster recovery for the small business

Now we know what disaster recovery is, how does this reflect on the small business? Well, it is vital that any business, big or small, has a plan in place for when the worst happens. When your small business is prepared for the worst, it will still be able to function and be productive. A small business will face many more challenges, as opposed to larger businesses, due to the fact that there are fewer resources and staff. However, with planning and forward thinking, all members of staff should know their role and what to do, protect assets and limit damage control.

Below we share the top five things that every small business needs to know when making a disaster recovery plan

1. Create a disaster recovery team

There should be a dedicated team who will be responsible for implementing the plan in a time of crisis. They will also help to shape and personalise the disaster recovery plan. If your business has very few staff, then it may well be worth outsourcing a team who offer a disaster recovery planning and monitoring service.

2. The risk assessment checklist

It is important to identify any risks so that you are alerted to what may happen, which can then help you implement a plan. Identifying risks can also alert you to any potential consequences that may be harmful to your business in terms of disruption.

3. The importance of backup

Everything ideally needs to be backed up in triplicate. One such backup system should ideally be placed off-site. It is also important that you access servers with inbuilt backup and firewalls installed. This really is essential for any small business.

4. Always test drive your plan

It is vital that you test drive your disaster rescue plan, that way you and your company will be fully prepared if the worst does happen. It is always best to be proactive, rather than reactive. Testing the plan will help to identify any weaknesses and help shape improvements. It will also help to keep everyone calm and well informed about what is going on.

5. Know your recovery timeframe

When disaster does strike, you need the downtime to be as minimum as possible. Time, after all, is money. Once you have determined how much time you have lost, which will hopefully be minimal due to the disaster rescue plan being in place, you can quickly work to regain those assets and to get up and running again at your normal speed.

Every small business needs a disaster rescue plan in place. To learn more about dedicated hosting and ensuring backup of your servers, please do get in touch with us.