Overcome Power Outage Fears: How Business Continuity Can Help You
As we approach the summer months, the fear of power outages and their potential impact on business operations grows. Unplanned power disruptions can cause significant damage, ranging from lost productivity to data loss and even reputational harm. In fact, according to data from the U.S. Department of Energy, power outages cost American businesses as much as $150 billion annually.
Understanding Business Continuity and Its Significance
Business Continuity is a business’s readiness to maintain critical functions following an emergency or disruption. These events can range from security breaches and natural disasters to power outages.
To illustrate this, let’s consider a small-to-medium-sized manufacturing business. A power outage could halt production lines, and disrupt order processing and inventory management systems, leading to delayed deliveries, lost sales, and increased costs due to spoilage or waste of materials.
A study by LogicMonitor revealed that 96 percent of organizations had faced at least one instance of system outage in the previous three years. This suggests that the occurrence of an outage is not a question of “if”, but rather “when”.
Without a business continuity plan, your operations could come to a standstill, just like in the above example, impacting revenue, customer satisfaction and potentially damaging your business’ reputation.
It Starts with a Plan
Establishing business continuity starts with a comprehensive plan. This process requires a thorough evaluation of disruption’s impacts on every aspect of a business, from processes and people to supply chains. For example, understanding how a power outage impacts your operations will help you identify the key areas to focus on for maintaining business continuity.
Update Infrastructure and Process to Meet that Plan
Once you have a plan, the next step is updating your infrastructure and processes to meet that plan. In most scenarios, solutions involve maintaining system redundancy, failover, and workplace recovery. IT infrastructure is central to all of these. Every aspect must be carefully evaluated and strengthened, from offsite backup and cloud platforms to remote access.
And Finally, Test, Maintain, and Update
What’s the point of business continuity if you are not constantly checking and ensuring everything is in working order? Regular testing, maintenance, and updates are critical to ensuring your business continuity plan remains practical and up-to-date.
Brace for Impact: Ensuring Business Resilience with GB Tech
At GB Tech, we understand the importance of business continuity and its role in keeping your business resilient against the unexpected. We can help with the creation of a business continuity plan unique to your company and provide the necessary infrastructure solutions. With a partnership with GB Tech, you can confidently face any disruption, knowing your business can weather the storm, no matter what hits you.
