Business Continuity Planning for Small Business

Statistics from the US Department of Homeland Security show that about 1 in 4 businesses that experience a major disaster never reopen. Other studies show that only about 6% survive long term after a disaster.

So what does it take to make sure that you are able to reopen and survive? It takes a business continuity plan.

Now maybe that sounds complicated, but there are many resources available to help you get started. If your business is small, it may not take a lot of effort to make sure that you will be able to recover the worst disaster imaginable. You can find everything you need to get started, included a fill in the blank planning form at Homeland Security's Ready Business website.

in simple terms, a Business Continuity Plan is simply a plan to continue business operations after a disaster. The disaster may be a natural disaster - such as fire, flood, tornado, hurricane or earthquake; a human induced disaster - such as employee sabatoge or theft; or simple equipment failure. In fact, it may not even be your disaster. If you have a single vendor that you rely on for a product or service, what will you do if they have a disaster?

So what questions should you be asking? The questions will vary somewhat depending on your business, but this list should help get you thinking about this important topic.

1. Where should your employees take shelter in the event of a tornado or biological attack?

2. If you must evacuate the building, do you have a place for your employees to meet outside the building so you can be sure everyone is safe?

3. Do you have emergency contact information for all employees?

4. Do you have employees trained in first aid and CPR? Do the other employees know who they are?

5. What will your insurance cover in the event of a disaster?

6. What will you do if a major supplier has a disaster?

7. How will you service your important customers after a disaster?

8. Is your current data stored safely offsite and do you have a plan for replacing your IT infrastructure?

9. Do you know who to contact to report damage to your building?

10. Do you have fire extinquishers in place and are the inspected regularly?

11. Is your data and computer network protected from outside attack?

As you can see, this is much more than a discussion about your data and IT infrastructure. And it is not only a plan for recovery, but also a plan for prevention.