IT disruptions could be stressful and potentially dangerous to your business. If your technology doesn’t work, you can’t operate in the digital economy, and even large enterprises and recognizable brands are at risk of shuttering due to prolonged downtime.
Fortunately, you don’t have to be at the mercy of cyberattacks or unforeseen disasters. Here are several proactive steps you can take to ensure your business continues operating as best it can during IT disruptions, bounces back fast, and prevents similar disruptions from happening in the future.
Create a strong business continuity plan
A business continuity plan (BCP) outlines how your business will continue to operate during and after an IT disruption. It shows key employees and stakeholders how to handle unexpected tech issues without derailing your workflow, and what they have to do to get back to full operations.
At minimum, your BCP should include:
- Clear roles and responsibilities for all staff during downtime
- Protocols for maintaining communication with clients and team members
- Secure access to critical documents and systems, even when local servers are offline
If you don’t already have a BCP, you should bring in business continuity consultants for an objective, expert perspective to help you get started.
Implement regular automated data backups
When it comes to protecting your data, backups are nonnegotiable. You should be backing up critical business information daily, if not more frequently. Advanced solutions utilize the cloud and automatically create and store copies of your vital data, workflows, and configurations.
Use the 3-2-1 rule as a guide:
- Keep 3 copies of your data.
- Store them on 2 different media types.
- Ensure 1 copy is off site for redundancy (in a data center/cloud server).
Following this rule prevents a single point of failure and decreases the chances of data loss in the event of a disaster.
Migrate to the cloud to enable remote work
Migrating key services to the cloud gives you a solid contingency in the event your workplace is compromised or disrupted. Cloud-based platforms allow employees to work securely from any location and device, which helps maintain productivity and minimize downtime even if your main office is shut down.
Maintain reliable, disruption-proof communication tools
If your team can’t talk to each other or clients, productivity halts. Use cloud-based communication platforms such as Microsoft Teams or Slack to ensure they can be easily restored and team collaboration continues.
You must also establish BCP procedures for if primary communication tools fail. Having a backup communication channel, such as SMS alerts or alternate email accounts, can bridge the gap during outages.
Regularly train your team on business continuity
Technology alone cannot prevent the effects of IT disruptions; you must rely on your team. To empower your workforce to mitigate disruptions, regularly train your employees on business continuity policies and principles. They need to know exactly what to do during an IT disruption and how to operate recovery tools.
Your regular training sessions should cover:
- How to report issues
- Where to access backup systems
- Communication protocols during downtime
- Who is responsible for certain segments of your network
- Cybersecurity policies and best practices during vulnerable times
Clear procedures reduce panic and confusion, helping your team stay focused and productive.
Partnering with Kortek gives you access to proactive monitoring, emergency response, and expert guidance. Our support team will keep an eye on your systems 24/7 and address problems before you even notice them. We’ll also help you create backup and recovery strategies tailored to your business, assist with training, and quickly step in if something goes wrong. Contact us today for a free consultation!