Nibletz Staff
Many businesses hope that they’ll have to deal with a disaster, whether it be a flood, a fire, a burglary or ransomware. However, it’s always good to have a plan in place. Failure to have a recovery plan in place can mean that when disaster strikes, everything is lost. You don’t want to have rebuild all the way from the bottom. Here are ways to keep your business prepared and give you some peace of mind.
Take out insurance
Recovering from a disaster can run you bankrupt. The best way to avoid having to pay out after disaster is to take out insurance. Every business with an office should invest in some form of commercial property insurance. This can help pay reparations is the event of a fire or a storm. Many schemes also protect your contents, so that if any expensive equipment is stolen it can be replaced. Businesses based in high-risk flood areas should definitely consider this insurance type.
Other useful insurance types include cyber insurance (which could protect you from an information hack if you think you are at risk) and business interruption insurance (a bundle insurance deal to protect against multiple disasters).
Look into escrow agreements
Make sure that all software you are using is escrow protected. An escrow agreement ensures that if the owner behind that software goes bankrupt or is unable to continue maintaining it, you will have access to a copy of the source allowing you to continue using the software.
Similarly, if you are company that deals software to other companies, it may be beneficial looking into software escrow services. This was if disaster strikes, other businesses aren’t suing you for no longer being able to use your software.
Use the Cloud
Having all your files stored on a hard-drive or local server could result in them all being lost in the event of a fire or burglary. One way to prevent this is to store all your files on The Cloud (or at least have backup files there). This way if your computers are destroyed or stolen, you will still have access to your files. Putting information on the Cloud also keeps your business more protected against hacks. Cloud servers have all your files encrypted and sharded, making them basically impossible to hack into. The Cloud can also be accessed from any device from any location, so that if your office is destroyed, you and your fellow staff members can continue to work from home.
Have a work from home day
If your work is largely online-based, test out the practicality of being able to work from home by having a work from home day. Not only is this an exciting way to treat staff by not having them commute in the morning, it’s also a good way to test how business might work in the event of a disaster. You can trial out communication methods and make sure everyone is able to access all files. You may realise you don’t even need an office!
