BACK UP BACK UP AND BACK UP AGAIN!
Preserving your company files is the single most important step
for disaster preparation. Customer files, payroll records, accounting records,
asset listings, address books--any data you need to operate should have back up.
Does your state have any legal requirements for keeping records? Your disaster planning team should set priorities and time schedules for
backup and establish redundant IT capabilities.
If your company has low down time
tolerance, "hot backups" provide almost immediate back up and
data recovery. Contract with a service that provides "hot backups" as
a part of your business continuity plan.
If you can't afford the luxury of
"hot backups", back up
computer files at least daily and keep multiple copies (at least 3) off-site. Ok,
its a no-brainer but you'd be surprised how often this is not done. Store the
back up files in a secure location off-site or on the net. Assign specific personnel to
back up on schedule and keep to the schedule.
Test the backup system often. Organize the
back up in an easily accessible way. Can you restore fully from what you have stored off-site?
Do you have IT staff ready? How long does it take to get up and running? Can you afford to be out of
business that long?
Vital documents should be stored safely.
Assess the physical location of the documents. Move documents in stored
in vulnerable locations. High speed scanning of documents is a good way to
make files available on CD.