{"id":2622,"date":"2018-09-25T11:56:43","date_gmt":"2018-09-25T16:56:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.stratospherenetworks.com\/blog\/?p=2622"},"modified":"2018-09-25T11:56:43","modified_gmt":"2018-09-25T16:56:43","slug":"build-a-business-continuity-plan-in-6-steps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.stratospherenetworks.com\/blog\/build-a-business-continuity-plan-in-6-steps\/","title":{"rendered":"Build a Business Continuity Plan in 6 Steps"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Business<\/a>It could be a flood, fire, or even something as seemingly minor as a spilled cup of coffee. Whether the cause is an act of nature or human error, a disaster<\/a> could take down your whole business for hours or even days if you aren\u2019t prepared.<\/p>\n

Even if you have backups in place<\/a>, restoring your data doesn\u2019t help much if end users can\u2019t access it and\/or don\u2019t know what they\u2019re supposed to do when disaster strikes. If staff members are cut off from critical data and applications and clients can\u2019t reach you, the outage could come at a considerable cost to your business.\u00a0 As of 2016, for instance, the average cost of a data center outage was $740,357, according to the Ponemon Institute<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Additionally, your organization\u2019s reputation could take a hit if the outage leads current and prospective clients to question your reliability. That\u2019s why it\u2019s crucial to establish a business continuity plan<\/a>, which allows your organization to keep operating after a disaster<\/a>.<\/p>\n

If you haven\u2019t already created one, a business continuity plan can benefit your company in a few key ways, such as reducing downtime, giving employees the ability to work remotely, and improving customer service.<\/p>\n

Following these seven steps can help you build an effective business continuity plan:<\/p>\n

1. Carry out a business impact analysis. <\/strong>The first step toward creating a business continuity plan is carrying out a business impact analysis, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security<\/a>. Your business impact survey should predict what will happen if your organization\u2019s functions and processes get disrupted by a disaster.<\/p>\n

Here are some areas of impact to include in your analysis<\/a>:<\/p>\n