Continuity Centers

Knowledge is power in business continuity

Not so long ago, experts and advocacy groups worried that the average small-business owner was fearfully unprepared for a major man-made or natural disaster, and that many of them did not understand the basic tenets of continuity. In the past few years, awareness has appeared to spread, but entrepreneurs cannot relent on their path to not only become more well-versed in the best practices of continuity and recovery, but also incorporate them into standing strategies efficiently.

Research can go a long way toward boosting recovery and continuity performances, as a well-informed business leader will tend to be better positioned to protect corporate assets and operational processes from various disruptions. Luckily, there has been a major push for use cases and studies on these types of topics, giving entrepreneurs plenty of resources to pull from when developing, executing, evaluating and refining their disaster recovery and continuity programs.

Facts of note
BizTech Magazine recently explained some of the more common ways in which companies fail to maintain consistent operations in the event of a disaster, as well as the riskiest threats facing modern continuity and recovery management. For one, the source pointed out that the Federal Emergency Management Agency still places the likelihood of businesses to close forever following a major disaster at 40 percent, which is better than 2009 but still leaves plenty to be desired.

The government has become more involved in educating the private sector regarding the various risks involved in disaster recovery because of the massive economic damages incurred from unprepared companies. According to the news provider, many firms are simply not getting the basics right, as evidenced by the types of issues that tend to cause the greatest disruption and longest-lasting outages among organizations today.

A seasoned professional will often be necessary to tighten up continuity plans. A seasoned professional will often be necessary to tighten up continuity plans.

As a note, this is also why so many firms have turned to managed service providers to help out with their continuity and recovery needs, essentially reducing the risks most closely associated with internal negligence and errors. BizTech Magazine pointed out that human error is responsible for nearly three-quarters of datacenter issues, and that many firms remain susceptible to disruption thanks to a lack of contingencies for mission-critical systems.

To back up that assertion, the source cited a finding from the Disaster Recovery Preparedness Council that mechanical failures within primary IT systems cause 50 percent of outages. Backing up these systems with cloud services can essentially negate that risk.

Better guidance
While research into internal and external matters can help to improve decision-making related to recovery and continuity strategies, nothing is more valuable than a highly tailored line of guidance from experienced professionals. Small-business owners can work to reduce the strain placed on employees and bolster the effectiveness of these initiatives by identifying a managed service provider that specializes in supporting entrepreneurs through their relevant endeavors. 

A closer look and more specific guidance following a professional evaluation will almost always take continuity and recovery performances to the next level. 

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