Top Tips for business continuity over the Festive Period At this time of year, it’s entirely possible for businesses to lose up to 50% of their staff due to the Christmas holidays or for many SMEs to close up completely to enable staff and managers to see in the New Year refreshed and raring to go. So to ensure that your 2013 doesn’t begin with a business catastrophe, we’ve put together a quick checklist of things to think about before your thoughts inevitably turn to turkey and all the trimmings... •
Avoid installing any new software patches before you head off – particularly if they’re untested. If they misbehave and crash your server whilst you’re away, you may not get complaints from just your clients, but from your family too when you are forced to put down your prezzies and pick up the phone instead.
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Power Failure is always a risk for businesses at any time of the year, but Murphy’s Law dictates that “anything that can go wrong, will go wrong” – especially when you are not there to deal with it! So make sure that your back up power supplies are fully functional and that alert systems are in place in case the worst should happen.
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Identify the key elements of your business. Once you have identified which processes, software and equipment you need to ensure are kept running, you can check and double check that recovery plans are in place for all of them.
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A bit of a ‘no-brainer’ this one, but ensure that you have contact numbers for all of your key staff before they disappear for the holidays in case of an emergency.
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Turn off any lights or even servers that won’t be used over the Christmas break this way you will eliminate the risks of power-related problems, as well as do your bit for the environment.
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Bad weather is a given for this time of year and with the recent flooding demonstrating just how destructive Mother Nature can be, it’s all the more important to back up your mission-critical data and more importantly, ensure that you can recover it, should your business fall victim.
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Make sure your business premises are secure if it will be shut down for an extended period of time. The last thing you want to return to is an empty office devoid of all that expensive equipment you’ve invested in over the years. Check all CCTV and alarms before you leave and employ the services of a security firm.
As well as the above, it’s also worth scheduling a couple of inspections whilst you are away – if only to ease your mind. Whether this is done yourself or whether you have a couple of key managers who can share the burden, you will be able to enjoy your time off in peace, safe in the knowledge that all is well back at the office. Have a great Christmas and a Happy New Year, from all at Strident Computer Systems!