Have you thought about disaster recovery at all? What is your disaster solution? What is your solution to losing all of your data? As we come up on September, we call come upon National Disaster Preparedness Month. Yes, there is such a thing! This month serves as a great reminder to take a look at your disaster solutions, including your backup solutions. In my career, I have seen so many people spend money “after the fact”. They put measures in place that they should have done long ago. Better late than never right? Here are some things you should think about before a disaster strikes your practice.
What Is Your Disaster Solution?
Know the risks – Take the time to really think about what could possibly happen that can put you out of business. Tornado? Hurricane? Fire? Corrupt employee? Think about all the risks and assess the likelihood of those happening. Use a scale of 1-5, with 5 being the most likely it could happen. Once you have identified your strongest risks, you can start to take measures to protect yourself.
Come up with a plan – Now t hat you have assessed your risk and determine that there is a strong chance that something may happen, you need to start putting your plan in to place. For example, create a Disaster Recovery Plan where you can document all the information you would need in case of an emergency. Your IT people, your insurance carrier, your lawyer, your employees, etc. You want everything to be in one place so you don’t have to go hunting for important information. Keep a copy of this information off-site for safe keeping.
Get prepared – Take the mindset of “when” it happens, not “if” it happens. What is your backup solution? Start looking at that and checking it on a regular basis. When do you find out you have a bad backup? When you need it! Get all your ducks in a row BEFORE you have an emergency. Not during or after.
Educate and Communicate – Train your staff. Show them what to do in the event of an emergency. Have them plan it out with you. Your staff should be active participants in any emergency plans you have. When you change something in the plan, let them know. Everyone should be on the same page.
Being prepared for a disaster can save you from an even larger disaster. Protect your staff, your office, your patients and your data. Get prepared!
