Business Continuity Planning in the SMB Space

In the first of a three-part series for Doyenz, Karl Palachuk writes about how cloud computing impacts business continuity planning. 

Way back in the 1990s, Business Continuity Planning (or BCP) was all the rage for businesses with a budget. But as technology advances, BCP is becoming a very attainable goal for smaller businesses.

In the old days, we had a big, fat document that described how we would move operations to the “emergency site” in a catastrophic disaster. Today, Business Continuity Planning is a lot easier to achieve technically. And it costs a lot less!

You’ve read all the stats about how many businesses fail due to data loss. Businesses with an interruption of ten or more days simply do not survive. They might limp along for awhile, but they will fail. Two thirds of the businesses in the World Trade Center did not survive. BCP goes way beyond recovering your data, or your computer systems. BCP is literally a plan for the continuation of the business.

The Dangers

Most small businesses only need to deal with three basic types of business interruption:

1. Server crash (some critical function on the primary server renders it unusable);
2. Utility outage (power outage, Internet outage); or
3. Building-wide disaster (fire, hazmat spill).

A fourth, less likely scenario would be a region-wide disaster. This would include major floods, major hurricanes, major earthquakes, etc.

If you can plan for the first three, your clients will be covered for virtually anything that comes their way. Most of us spend our time on preventing and addressing the first kind of business interruption. After all, that’s our job. But #2 and #3 are even bigger problems because they cripple your ability to recover anything!

Your BCPs should be primarily paper documents. In a true emergency of the kind that would require you to implement this plan, you won’t have access to the plan in electronic format! You should compile a binder, scan it, and keep the electronic version on a cloud-based storage system. That gives you quick access if you DO have electricity and an Internet connection. But you should also guarantee access to the printed version.

Contents

So what’s in a BCP? In the old days, we used to literally describe every piece of equipment, because you had to have that exact thing. Today, the technical side of disaster recovery is a lot easier. It pretty much doesn’t matter what the old server was. Or the desktops. Or even the printers.

With modern technology, we can restore entire servers into virtual environments. We don’t even need to wait for the physical server to arrive! The virtual environment can be in The Cloud. This gives the client (almost) instant satisfaction, and dramatically reduces stress as you wait for the building to be cleared, equipment to be replaced, etc.

This is a big topic, but the most important information your BCP should include is:

• A very brief description of how you will proceed to rebuild the infrastructure.
• A collection of all the information that will be needed in a crisis (insurance policy numbers, phone numbers, employee emergency contacts, bank account information, etc.).
• An emergency communication procedure for employees that everyone knows. In the short term, it can’t be company email.
• Realistic time-frames for disaster recovery and business continuity.
• A communication plan for clients, vendors, and the media.
   

The Human Side

Interestingly enough, modern Business Continuity Planning can make you a guaranteed hero in an extremely stressful situation. As the person who knows the plan the best, and as an “outsider” who can execute the plan without being tied into the emotional stress of the owners, you can be the most stable, reliable force in a disaster.

The human side of a disaster is often overlooked. Employees have families. And they need to communicate with their families and count noses before they will be able to pay attention to work. Even then, estimates are that most people will only be 80% productive in a disaster. Some people will not be able to handle the stress.

If your plan includes cloud-based recovery that can be executed without relying on client personnel, you can get the company “back in business” while owners and managers are busy taking care of their people (and their families). If you create BCPs for a number of clients, you’ll be well versed in what you need to do. So, just like being prepared for a fire, you’ll know what to do in a disaster.

There can be very good money in developing business continuity plans for your clients.

Karl W. Palachuk is the Senior Systems Engineer at America's Tech Support. He is the author of nine books and the owner of multiple businesses. His books include Managed Services in a Month and The Network Documentation Workbook. Karl is a frequent trainer and speaker in the SMB Community. His popular blogs can be found at SmallBizThoughts.com and CloudServicesRountable.com.