Business Continuity

Every good business follows through on its obligations to its customers, even under extenuating circumstances. Sometimes businesses that are heavily reliant on technology deal with technical difficulties that can hamstring operations for a day or more.

But with proper preparation and a cool head, a smart business team can continue operating even in the face of a major disruption.

Having a business continuity plan ensures you have procedures tailored to dictate how your specific business can remain functional after almost any kind of crippling interference.

So what’s yours?

Preparation is Key

Even if your business is completely up-to-date with all the latest hardware and software and a secure network, there’s a good chance that something will eventually go wrong – even though no fault of your own.

In situations like these, where your business is accustomed to running like a well-oiled machine, continuity plans are more important than ever. Having a contingency plan increases your ability to deal with disruptions, even if the plan itself doesn’t survive first contact with the problem.

Keeping your business in a position to easily pivot and go about its work – unconventionally if necessary – is a healthy precaution to maintain productivity and customer confidence.

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A good mindset is a great start, but business continuity plans don’t begin and end with your business’s ability to wing it.

There are concrete, proven technological approaches guiding a business continuity plan as well. If you aren’t confident in your current data backup systems, you should talk to a professional and refine your practices so that a hardware or software failure doesn’t set you back days or months.

Even if you think you’re protected, it’s a good idea to have a professional do some troubleshooting. Proper backup procedures, vigilance and cloud computing can have your business back on its feet within minutes of a major disruption.

Redundancy Is a Good Thing

In many fields, redundancy carries a negative connotation.

We’ve all heard that quote about how perfection is achieved not when there is nothing else to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.

Writers, for example, are often taught to pare down their sentences to the most necessary elements, removing superfluous expressions and unnecessary adverbs.

When it comes to network safety and sustainability, however, redundancies are essential.

To minimize risk, your business should take as many precautions as possible to ensure redundancy. Decentralizing your data storage by making use of cloud storage and regular system backups ensure that there will always be a reasonably updated copy of your essential records on hand.

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At Affinity, we’re committed to building as many levels as necessary to shelter your business from the tides of technological disaster.

We believe that real security comes through collaborative IT work and a commitment to preparedness.

If you want to take the next step and make sure your business can weather any storm, don’t hesitate to get in touch – we’d love to sit down with you and the other decision-makers at your company and start work on your business continuity plan today.