“Planning is bringing the future into the present so that you can do something about it now.” – Alan Lakein
There are two kinds of challenges to doing business. There’s the normal day-to-day stuff. Finding new customers. Keeping existing customers. Improving efficiency. Motivating your employees. Maintaining the delicate balance of growth versus stability.
These are repetitive and constant. They may evolve over time, but if they change, they tend to change slowly. And then there’s the second kind of challenge.
The unexpected. The things you can’t see coming until they hit you square in the face. When it comes to the second kind, having a business continuity plan makes all the difference.
Need reasons? We got reasons.
If you don’t currently have a business continuity plan, you may not yet know how imperative they are. We can help there.
Below you’ll find 9 reasons why you need a business continuity plan.
1. So you don’t go out of business.
Sorry to start off with something so grim, but them’s the breaks. A business continuity plan can easily be the deciding factor in survival when the chips are down.
49% of small business owners estimate it would take them a minimum of three months to recover from a disaster. Think about all that lost time and lost money. A business continuity plan can help you ensure that your organization recovers much faster.
2. Because downtime is expensive.
The Aberdeen Group reports that downtime costs small businesses as much as $8,600 per hour. Depending on the scope of your operation, that number could even be low.
Let’s cut to the chase. When your network is down, you’re losing money. A business continuity plan gets you back online as fast as possible.
3. Because disasters come in all sizes.
Disasters aren’t limited to hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes and the like. Power outages, hardware failure and human error also count. Any of these can take your network down.
Even if you feel confident you’re safe from natural disasters, you still need a business continuity plan to help you get up, clean up and keep going.
4. WannaCry. And Petya. And whatever’s next.
Ransomware is on the rise. According to Kaspersky, there’s a ransomware attack on a business once every 40 seconds. We know the kinds of headlines WannaCry and Petya made. They won’t be the last.
A business continuity plan helps round out your protection against the latest ransomware attacks.
5. For a competitive edge.
There’s a serious advantage to keeping normal operations going while your competitors are stuck waiting. If you can get your network back up and running fast, you’ll almost certainly stand out as a company customers can count on.
6. To sharpen your focus.
The process of creating a business continuity plan forces some important questions about what matters most. Few things will align the focus of your entire organization like developing a thorough business continuity plan.
7. To boost communication.
Communication is pivotal in the midst of a crisis. But like item #6 on our list, the act of creating a business continuity plan will make everyone aware of the best, most productive modes of communication. It will also clarify who’s in charge of what.
Said another way, business continuity helps communication when things are chaotic . . . and when they’re not.
8. Because your reputation matters.
When everything goes sideways, your customers will notice how you respond. They may be understanding if it takes you a bit of time to recover, and they may not be.
But they will definitely be impressed if you don’t skip a beat.
9. For peace of mind.
Finally, a business continuity plan gives you and your staff a sense of peace. You’ll know that even if the worst happens, you have a way to bounce back.
KME knows business continuity.
At KME, we’ve helped dozens of companies put together custom business continuity plans. We’ll take the time to listen to your unique challenges and priorities. We have the knowledge and experience to make sure you’re prepared, no matter what.
If you’d like to learn more about how we can help, please get in touch with us today. A member of our team will be happy to walk you through the process.
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