As we resume the Small Business Emergency Readiness series, understand the goal of the series is to encourage you to perform Acts of Commission. This signifies preparing your business now as opposed to when times become more challenging. Unless you are in a deep slumber, you should be cognizant of the troubling times looming. While I hope you are making preparations for your family, you need to consider ways to protect your business as much as you can. Today we will explore the use of technology to get us through tough times as well as a backup version, that is going back to the basics. Let's begin.
Whether you are just starting or you are an established entrepreneur, equipping your team with the right technology is practical and essential. While maximizing your technological reach is critical, during an emergency part of the planning must include a paper trail backup plan. In healthcare, IT systems went down periodically. As a result, one of the many policies included a downtime policy that lays out the required procedure if technology cannot be accessed. After all, leadership can't walk away and declare we have an emergency therefore all life-saving options are off the table, or can they? Well, I hope not now back to small businesses. As a small business owner, you have to operate with the same mindset of implementing policies that can assist you and your team during downtime or
an emergency. Thus, it’s imperative to determine the best ways to leverage technology to expedite processes and improve business outcomes as well as external events such as a disaster. Whether it’s enhancing security, outsourcing IT support, or working with an expert to build a cloud platform just for your business, you may contact an IT professional for a consultation. In the interim, CPR did rudimentary research to get the conversation started and culminated recommendations for this post. Some recommendations include:
Facilitate remote and/or hybrid office
Survey your wireless network surveyed
Ensure you are equipped with a robust cybersecurity program
Manage your multi-cloud environment
Author a downtime policy and procedure and disseminate it to your team and your suppliers, vendors, and clients
This also includes monthly or quarterly, semi-annual paying clients
what steps will be taken to still receive payment
It's a painful discussion but inquire about your vendors' plans
Consider alternate vendors who are preparing in the event your regular vendor is unable to deliver
Test the policy periodically and revise it accordingly
Have a hard copy as a backup for all your files.
every client and contact
excel or access spreadsheet
logo with approval and any copyright data
Ensure you have a backup database,
logo, promo, jingle that was implemented or purchased, ensure you have a hard copy
Pending on the size of your business and whether you have inventory, create an online and hardcopy tag filing system
Purchase one of the technological gadgets that are noted to assist during a disaster.
As small business owners, there are many areas that we are tackling and juggling. Providing you have the financial resources to invest in a technological program to protect your business, please do so. It's about doing the due diligence before an emergency strikes. If you are financially strapped, then the above recommendations give you a head start on areas to explore and consider. We can consider nature in how they plan for the upcoming season. One insect that comes to mind is an ant. Ants are always busy storing and preparing for their emergencies. We can learn a thing or two about the diligence behind the work of an ant. Suffice it to say, please be sure to include your team in the plan. It's simply the right leadership decision.
#safety #technology #gadgets #cloud #leadership #smallbusiness #Emergency #disaster #remote #hybrid #outsource
Stay safe,
CeeCee
Managing Partner