The news is full of disasters in recent years. From the ongoing pandemic to natural disasters like floods, fires, and hurricanes, not to mention the threat of data breaches are affecting small businesses across the nation.
Let’s start with hackers. The U.S. automotive industry has become a hot target for cybercriminals with ransomware, brute force attacks on digital assets, and other threats being carried out successfully in recent years. Then there are the auto body shops that were disabled by fires and flood, disasters that can cause permanent damage to business profitability and in some cases, bankruptcy.
Besides carrying the appropriate insurance such as liability and business interruption policies, auto repair shops must also plan for the unthinkable — theft and/or loss of their business data.
Disaster Recovery Plans — Your Auto Body Shop’s Safety Net for Business Continuity
Business continuity — or your business’ ability to stay open and functioning in the face of disaster is an important part of staying solvent and profitable during adverse conditions. With threats now extending from natural disasters to cyber-attacks and insider threats, it is more critical than ever to have a plan in place to maintain cash flow, protect staff and customers, and keep customer relations healthy in the event of an adverse event.
Here are some suggestions for creating an optimal disaster recovery plan:
- Identify Disaster Risks
Disasters come in all shapes and sizes. Determine which are most likely to affect the health of your business. In today’s digital world most businesses should consider cyberattacks as a prime concern. If you live in areas that frequently experience floods, hurricanes, tornados, fires, earthquakes, and other natural disasters, then these hazards should also figure into your plans.
- Identify Critical Assets
Now you should outline the personnel, data, and equipment that are absolutely necessary for your business to continue to function in the event of disaster. Closely evaluate each department and business function to determine which are critical to a fast return to normal. Develop inventories of equipment and a list of critical personnel and their contact information that will be a part of your disaster recovery plan.
- Develop and Test Your Plan
Using the information you have created in previous steps, develop a written disaster recovery plan that outlines specific steps that will be taken in the event of a disaster, including theft or loss of data. These steps will help you get back to business as quickly as possible to provide the kind of business continuity that could make the difference between business success and failure.
This plan should be highly detailed, with instruction for communicating needs during the emergency, communicating with customers, and with the local community. Finally, test your plan periodically to ensure all critical personnel fully understand the plan and their parts in it. Working together with a third-party managed services provider (MSP) can help you adequately protect your digital assets and IT infrastructure — integral parts of business continuity.
Let the Blue Technologies Managed IT Team Help Keep Your Data Safe
In today’s world, no business is safe from disaster. With cyberattacks on the rise and natural disasters affecting nearly every part of the country, there is more need than ever to protect your business’ most critical asset — your digital infrastructure and everything it contains.
At Blue Technologies, our Managed IT team has a deep knowledge of current threats to business owners, from hackers to hurricanes. We can assess the health and vulnerability of your current infrastructure and create a strong disaster recovery plan that will have you up and running as soon as possible in the event of an emergency. Not only can we help you develop a plan, but we can also help you educate your employees on what to do when disaster strikes, giving you even more tools to help your business recover quickly from an adverse event.
Keep your auto repair business thriving, even when disaster strikes. Contact a Blue Technologies consultant and learn how our Managed IT professionals can help you plan for the future.
