Do you have a business continuity plan for your business? Most large companies spend millions of dollars on comprehensive plans that include “hot sites” for immediate recovery and dedicated teams to begin recovery efforts the moment disaster strikes to ensure there is little impact to their ability to service customers. But most small- and medium-size businesses have nothing. What would you do if your office burned to the ground? How quickly could you recover if your office sat under eight feet of water for days? How would you service customers if you were without power for a week?

There are no easy answers to these questions, but a business continuity plan is a great start! A good business continuity plan examines multiple dimensions including the safety of employees and customers, the security of the company’s premises, data and belongings, notification of employees, customers, authorities, etc., alternative work locations, critical personnel and a designated recovery team. It also has a clear and specific target timeframe and steps necessary to return to business as usual operations. Here are a few simple steps to get you started on your business continuity plan. Remember, just going through the exercise of documenting a simple plan is helpful so that you’re not doing that for the first time in the midst of a recovery effort. And you can always expand your plan at a later date.

1. Define the target time period to return to business as usual following a disaster
2. Identify resources critical to your recovery effort, (employees, office location, required technology, hardware and software, etc).
3. Engage partners now; sign on-call agreements with them, (restoration services, technology consultants, etc.)
4. Keep a list of important telephone numbers in a safe place (insurance company, employees, key customers, attorney, etc.)
5. Inventory all of your business assets including your furniture, hardware, telephones, office equipment, etc. Record the make, model, serial number, purchase or lease date, price, condition, etc.
6. Photograph each item and keep the photos with the receipts or lease agreements; video the premises.

Remember, any plan is better than no plan. There are many contingency planning consultants out there who can assist with the process. And you can find a qualified asset inventory documentation specialist to conduct your business inventory. There’s no reason that your business should be without a plan.

Derek Lee is the President of Bastion Home & Business Services, LLC, (http://www.bastionhbs.com [1]) a leader in providing asset inventory documentation services to residential and small- to medium-sized business customers throughout Central Florida. Derek is committed to ensuring that Bastion's services contribute to the protection of clients’ homes and businesses, with the highest degree of confidentiality, professionalism, integrity, respect and an unwavering commitment to excellence.