5 Cheap-and-Easy Disaster Recovery Tips


Written by Phil on February 22, 2011 in Disaster Recovery.

The problem many small businesses cite for lack of disaster recovery is cost. They don’t have the funds to buy a second set of hardware and software to keep in a different location in the event of a catastrophe. Nor do they typically have the IT resources internally to do an adequate job of protecting their data and systems. So what can they do? Here are five affordable disaster recovery options for your small business.

Nearly all large enterprises have sophisticated disaster recovery plans in place. They create secondary sites in remote locations that come online if anything should go wrong with the primary data center. They replicate data so that additional copies are available should hardware fail. And they have data backups of everything, store tapes offsite and institute numerous other safeguards.

At the small business end of the spectrum, however, it’s a very different story. “In the past, disaster recovery was in the realm of the rich and famous — large environments that could cover the cost of supporting data protection activities with their size,” said Greg Schulz, an analyst with Server and StorageIO Group.

“Today, things are quite different: there are plenty of technologies that small businesses can use to protect critical data while making sure all their other information is protected in a timely manner without breaking the bank.”

See 5 Cheap-and-Easy Disaster Recovery Tips, by Drew Robb for Small Business Computing.

========================================

If you need a basic Business Continuity Plan ASAP… and your company is a small office/service/retailer or manufacturer/distributor with up to 250 employees, this “fill-in-the-blanks” template including three sample plans is perfect for you! Best of all, you don’t need prior business continuity experience.

Quick and Easy Business Continuity Plan for Your Small Business: Step-by-Step Template and Sample Plans

By Douglas M. Henderson

Reach for this “Quick and Easy” remedy if you’re suddenly tasked with developing a plan for disaster preparedness–and feel an impending anxiety attack because you don’t know quite where to start.

NOTE: This basic template is targeted to small businesses with little or no prior business continuity expertise who may not have the time nor expertise to build a full-scale business continuity program.

You don’t need any special training or expensive consultants. You don’t need to spend weeks and weeks or empty your bank account to build a basic business continuity program.

Just go page by page to edit the Microsoft Word template; updating instructions are included as needed in the template and you can refer to the exact same page in the three completed sample plans for guidance. Doug Henderson distills his extensive experience as a business continuity consultant to give you succinct, field tested tips for what to include and why. He includes an abundance of handy forms, checklists, charts and tables for easy completion and distribution. Just completing the forms for “Who’s in Charge” and Immediate Actions will give you a satisfying sense of accomplishment and momentum.

In only a few hours you’ll create a basic, yet fully customized plan unique to your business, which is also compliant with major standards. You’ll have a plan in place to address all the fundamentals of disaster preparedness – and you can build on it later as you have the time and need.

This basic business continuity toolkit includes…

  • One Microsoft Word template with color coded sections so you can customize your plan based on company size (under 100/up to 250 employees) and type (service/retail or manufacturer).
  • Three sample plans for three fictitious companies – a very small service or retail business (under 100 employees); a small service or retail business (up to 250 employees); and a small manufacturing business (up to 250 employees). Sometimes companies are a mixture of service/retail/manufacturing, so you may find parts of each sample plan applicable to your situation.
  • ReadMe.doc file with updating instructions to keep your plan current.
  • Bonus file with assorted how-to articles, including:
    • Coping With Physical Disaster
    • Family Disaster Planning
    • Business Survival in the 21st Century
    • Facility Evacuation

…and offers you many advantages:

  • Was developed by a 20-year veteran in business continuity consulting — a small business owner himself — who knows the specific needs of small businesses
  • Has been extensively field tested in a variety of business environments
  • Is written in Microsoft Word, designed with extensive “Fill-in-the-Blank” and “Edit-Out” text
  • Requires no special training in the discipline of Business Continuity Management (BCM)
  • Results in your own customized plan that addresses all the fundamentals, all within a few hours
  • Is compliant with professional standards from the Disaster Recovery Institute International (DRII) and National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1600 Standard on Disaster/Emergency Management, as well as industry best practices
  • Can be used for student practice in corporate training classes in business continuity/disaster recovery– site licensing available.
  • Provides an optional upgrade path to several more sophisticated templates and tools for whenever you’re ready to build a more comprehensive business program for your growing business.

Published by Rothstein Associates Inc.
ISBN 9781931332538
2010
Only $69.99!

TO PURCHASE: Simply click through the heading of this email and use the “Add to Cart” buttons to access our secure checkout – or, contact Rothstein Associates at info@rothstein.com, 203.740.7444 or 888.ROTHSTEin (888.768.4783).

NOTE: This basic template is targeted to small businesses with little or no prior business continuity expertise who may not have the time nor expertise to build a full-scale business continuity program.

Be Sociable, Share!

Tags: , , , , , ,