In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, businesses are taking a hard look at their business continuity plans. These are plans that assist organizations in preparing for disastrous conditions and disruptive events; particularly like those conditions that occurred due to COVID-19. It’s imperative that businesses rethink their processes in the event of circumstances like this, so the business has the best possible chances for a positive outcome during and after the disruptive event. Following are some tips for making it through disasters like the COVID-19 pandemic.

Create a Business Continuity Team

Your first step should be to create an in-house business continuity team. This is a team that would leap into action when a disruptive event occurs. At least one person on the team needs to be IT-savvy. That person will communicate with your cloud services provider to get and keep your business online throughout the event. The rest of the team should comprise a diverse group that covers each of the core functions of your business. For example, you should have someone who represents the marketing department, one who represents the administration department, etc. Finally, one person on your business continuity team should represent the entire group, acting as the spokesperson who can address departments in the business and make announcements.

Conduct Risk Assessments

The business continuity team should conduct risk assessments in the following areas:

Information – What are the information systems that are most vital to your business? What is the minimum necessary to keep running the business at acceptable levels throughout the disruptive event?

Communication – What communication services does your business need to continue operating during the disruptive event

Data Access – Which parties in your organization need data access in order to continue business operations?

Establish Cloud-Based Backup

Before any disruptive event, establish cloud-based backup and recovery solutions. Get everything in place that covers the essential services as outlined above. Ensure that essential personnel have what they need to implement disaster recovery efforts and business continuity plans. This will include things like two-factor authentication codes and backup or secondary personnel in the event that the primary person is rendered incapacitated. 

Write a Recovery Plan

Write a recover plan that covers the entire processes, from the time that the disruptive event occurs to the time that the event ends. Host the recovery plan on the cloud-based service so that it is available to all pertinent personnel. Include essential information such as how employees are to communicate with one another, where data can be accessed and through which personnel, and an alternate chain of command, should the chain of command be disrupted. 

Finally, ensure that all employees are aware that a business continuity plan has been put into place. This will ensure that employee morale is bolstered. You don’t want employees to leave thinking that the business is bust just because of the disruptive event. 

This business continuity plan will help to make sure that your business survives though most disruptive events. For more information about working with a cloud services provider, please contact us.