Every savvy business should ensure all documents and other data types are backed up (and retrievable). Compliance with GDPR and CyberEssentials* makes it essential.
*CyberEssentials is an official UK wide, government-backed certification that helps companies demonstrate their businesses are guarded against the most common cyber threats. It also allows you to demonstrate your commitment to cyber security to prospective customers. It is a mandatory requirement for some business sectors and all public-sector contracts.
Backup and Disaster Recovery scenarios typically consider how to recover an accidentally deleted file or folder or an entire PC/Server disk if it fails or is infected with malware or ransomware.
In our current situation with the threat of CoronaVirus and its potential impact on business continuity and productivity, there is a need to think more about what happens if your systems become unavailable for any reason. You can recover a Word or Excel but if your primary server fails running a central database then you need to consider how to get the system running including new or emergency hardware as well as recovering the files and databases themselves.
In the UK we also typically consider the consequences of fire or floods on business continuity but in the present scenario we should consider the consequences if you can’t get into your building because either it has been quarantined or your staff have been quarantined at home. The Corona Virus could potentially have an impact on businesses in the coming months. For those with a desk-based job there is still a chance that they can do their jobs from home. Some businesses will have dedicated Remote Desktop Servers and Services in-place already. These services can allow most office-based services to be run with a secure remote connection into the office from home or elsewhere.
For smaller businesses or those that normally do not encourage staff to work from outside the office there are some quick and cost-effective approaches that can be implemented.
Modern phone services are very flexible. Handsets can be unplugged from the office and connected to a network elsewhere – such as at home – and still work with all the same functions. Alternatively, you can often get the phone to run as an app from your mobile or tablet. If your phone system doesn’t allow this, you could still introduce new or temporary lines that can be used by staff to make and receive calls when at home (or mobile) for relatively low setup and running costs.
If you currently don’t have a business continuity plan or your plan does not have contingency for quarantine style events, then please give me a call so we can discuss some possible options that will benefit your business rather than exploit it. Hopefully we will not be affected by Corona, but it makes sense to plan for some scenarios.
Call me on 01653 908069, email me or fill in the contact form
Be Safe
Nick
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