Does your business have a Disaster Recovery Plan?

Table of contents

How to disaster proof your business

Create a disaster plan

Benefits of cloud computing

Advantages of VoIP

Consider a Disaster Recovery Service

Learn more

How to disaster-proof your company against damage and data loss

We tell you how you can keep trading, even in the face of floods, damage, power outage, theft or adversity, with our guide on how to ‘disaster-proof’ your business.

It’s become common to see the devastating news reports on homes and businesses being damaged by floods. Environmental changes and historical problems with local waterways and roads have meant that parts of the UK are struggling to cope with heavy rainfall or straining river banks. And the result is the dreadful footage we’re now regularly witnessing of houses, shops and offices knee-deep in water bobbing with ruined furniture, products and expensive hardware.

If you’re a shop or business owner affected by an environmental disaster, or had your premises and equipment damaged or stolen, the emotional impact will be hard enough without worrying about a financial one too.

Obviously, it’s imperative you can continue trading or operating as best as you can, to continue to be available to clients, to continue answering calls and emails and ensure that the data and files you hold aren’t lost.

There are plenty of cost-effective and easy to implement solutions available for organisations and establishments of any size, that will ensure that if your premises are flooded it’s not your business that gets washed away…

Create a Disaster Recovery Plan:

Businesses that recover quickly have planned their recovery in advance. Put a folder together that contains key information such as passwords, team members phone numbers, client, supplier and IT supportdetails and up-to-date insurance documents. Keep this off-site and together with a valid credit card if you can.

The Benefits of Cloud Computing:

If, like most businesses, your company is reliant on data then it makes sense to regularly back this up and keep this backed up data off-site.

Or consider moving your server data to the cloud. Hosting your company’s data in the cloud is safer than using physical servers and means no loss of critical information if your premises are damaged. Plus, your staff can work from remote or temporary locations and still access their familiar folders, all that’s needed is a connection to the internet.

The Advantages of VoIP Telephones:

Similar to cloud computing, your telephony could also be hosted off-site. Your company’s phone lines could all still be up and running even if your shop or office handsets are underwater. Voice over Internet Protocol (or VoIP) allows you to make and receive calls using an internet connection rather than a traditional phone line, again ensuring you’re still contactable whatever the weather.

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Consider a Disaster Recovery Service:

If it’s absolutely essential that your company suffers no or minimal downtime, or if you manage and process a large amount of data or calls, then consider employing a bespoke business recovery plan.

Business solutions providers can implement a failsafe selection of tools and technologies that will step in if the very worst happens, such as:

• SIP trunking to immediately reroute your traditional phone lines
• Fully monitored leased or dual lines for continuous or failover broadband provision
• Emergency company mobile phones or mobile data devices
• Cloud-hosted telephony and servers to ensure no future loss of data or communication

At Focus Group, we supply a number of solutions to protect businesses from data loss, data breaches, disasters and downtime, such as hosted telephony, cloud computing, remote desktops and a disaster recovery plan guaranteed to get your company back up on its feet in no time.

Laurence Glen, Head of IT at Focus Group, says: ‘We can’t ignore the increasing likelihood that more shops, offices and factories will be affected by local and natural disasters in the future. Putting together a robust plan that will ensure you can continue trading before such an event happens makes sense and should be considered as important as an insurance policy.’