A good disaster plan is a blueprint of how a business will respond in a disaster and what steps it will take to protect itself and its people. Key issues for any business to consider when developing a plan are its people, information, location, equipment, inventory and transportation.
Protecting people: The most important asset for any business is its people.
A disaster plan should spell out how staff will be evacuated in case of an emergency during working hours, how to bring people back together after an incident, and how to coordinate them and get them to work at a new location.
Saving information: Every company is dependent on information. For financial institutions it may be customer accounts and transactions, for a machine shop it might be sophisticated designs, for a retail business it might be payroll and inventory data. Protecting and backing up that information is a key component.
Establishing an alternate location: Some businesses may be able to get by with just an office, a desk and a computer, but others are going to have more complex or special needs, such as a food processor's need for a large volume of water. A good idea is to work out a mutual agreement with a similar company ahead of time to share facilities in the event that a disaster shuts one or more of your facilities down.
Protecting equipment and inventory: If a business relies on specialized inventory, such as cell cultures for a biotech facility or special motors to run machinery on a production line, that should be factored into a disaster recovery plan. The company also needs to consider how long it will take to replace specialized inventory or equipment and how a special environment might be achieved for sensitive equipment and inventory.
Anticipating transportation needs: Reliance on access to railroads or a bridge to transport goods should be considered. With today's emphasis on just-in-time delivery, a disaster or labor issue that delays or stops delivery could have a severe impact on a business.
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