For too many small businesses, IT exists as an abstract concept. It is a vague combination of computers, servers and software that are important for getting business done, but are rarely a business concern. This attitude is understandable, but it is also risky. IT is more than just a one-time expense, it is a living breathing ecosystem that needs constant attention.

Do you remember what happened the last time a major storm knocked out power at your small business? Until the electricity was restored, business was probably at a standstill. Today's businesses are so dependent on technology, that when there is a problem, there is no way to be productive until the problem is fixed.

For small businesses in 2013, downtime is never an option. Disrupting your business operations for even a few hours can cause you to miss important deadlines, delay projects, waste your employees’ time, and possibly even lose a significant amount of revenue. Sometimes a network goes down due to technical problems, a faulty piece of equipment, for example. Other times, it’s caused by forces outside your control or the control of your IT services provider. A small fire in your building could cause huge problems for your IT systems if the sprinklers go off. Extended power outages can wreak havoc on your business processes, as well. And that’s not to mention natural disasters like earthquakes, floods, hurricane-force winds, and so on. For businesses large and small in 2013, it’s vitally important they create a backup and disaster recovery plan (BDR) with the help of their outsourced IT provider or managed service IT provider (MSP). Part of this planning involves setting an RTO, a recovery time objective. An RTO is the length of time a business deems it acceptable to have a particular business process offline. Shorter RTOs require more robust, instantly accessible solutions.

How does a modern backup and disaster recovery plan work?

As a small business owner, you face constant challenges. Increasing competition and economic uncertainty along with managing cash flow and maintaining productivity numbers all take considerable organizational skills and time. A good IT infrastructure allows you to meet the growing demands on your business. Your small business data is one of the single most valuable parts of your entire organization. Customer files, business intellectual property, expense tracking and much more happen using IT systems. 

Imagine a day when all your stored data is inaccessible. When a client calls in, no one can tell them anything about an existing order, track payment information or provide any service to the client. When you need to send an email, the system is down, allowing no incoming or outgoing mail. These issues not only impact client facing matters you also have employees that cannot work. The ripple effect from even a single day of downtime can come with tremendous costs for your company.

As a small business owner, automation and technology play a crucial role in your daily operations. Email, customer management software, various databases and more allow you to compete on a national scale, without the associated payroll. Access to data forms the basis for most of your customer interactions and activities. All of your online sales depend on your servers and so do many of your in-store sales. Server crashes bring your business to a screeching halt. If a customer calls to place an order during a crash, you lose out on the sale. If a huge multi-national company like Amazon.com can face massive server failure, so can you. A server crash is not an if, it's a when. Be prepared to handle the crisis like a pro with a few simple preventative and proactive steps.

Creating a plan to protect against data loss must be a top priority. Inability to access information stored on servers dramatically reduces productivity for as long as the issue persists. A plan for data recovery lets you get on with day-to-day business operations without worrying about lost work. You need to understand where important company data exists as part of your backup strategy checklist.  Information may be stored locally, to your server or in a cloud service. You as the business owner need to know where you may be vulnerable and then have a tested plan for recovery.

Do you have a back-up system that you can count on?  How recently did you verify that you can actually recover data from it?  How quickly could you get your system up and running again after a failure?  Since your business depends on having a functioning system and access to data, planning for emergencies is critical. Even more important, in some ways, is how quickly you can get your business up and running again after a disaster since down time can rack up significant costs. Many SMB owners are not aware of the latest developments in Back-up and Disaster Recovery (BDR) solutions that can literally save their business if something goes wrong.  Informing yourself about the latest BDR alternatives can help you ensure the future health of your business.