Many companies - outside of the retail industry, at least - slow
down over the Christmas holiday period, but an unexpected disaster
can strike at any time. So how can you protect your business over
the festive season?
SunGard Availability
Services have sent us their top five tips for good Christmas
continuity planning. If you've more to add, email us at
rebecca.froley@rbi.co.uk.
- Plan ahead. Every festive period brings
similar problems both in terms of IT and personnel issues. One
major risk that can affect any business is power failure, the
effects of which can be felt long after electricity supply has been
restored, so be sure to plan around such eventualities. With
careful planning, every organisation can have the correct plans in
place to operate under all circumstances.
- Factor in the weather. As we all know, the
weather deteriorates at this time of year, which brings an
increased chance of business disruption. For example, phone lines
could go down, pipes could freeze (which could affect your IT
cooling systems) and transport could be disrupted. Have back-up
plans in place for such events.
- Remember the heartbeat of every organisation is its
staff. While everyone will understandably want to be left
alone during the holidays, you should still be sure to have contact
numbers for all key staff to hand in case of an
emergency.
- Think green. Turn off any lights, power
systems or even servers that do not need to be up and running
during the festive season and you will save money as well as doing
your bit for the environment.
- Communicate. If you’re planning on closing the
office at any time over the Christmas break, make sure your
customers are aware of this. It’s also a good idea to provide
suppliers and customer contacts with details of how to reach staff
in case of emergency.
See also:
Our risk
management blog by Stuart King >>
