Written by George Liscinsky

In my eyes, the following statement remains extremely profound: The only thing that will be more difficult than planning for a Disaster will be explaining why you DIDN’T!

Without enough proper planning, your brand reputation will take a huge hit if your business process is disrupted. If your services suddenly become unavailable or you are unable to communicate with your customers and partners, your brand will ultimately suffer.

Planning for the unknown is unquestionably a difficult task. The unpredictability of natural disasters, hardware failures, and terrorist events coupled with the unavoidable factor of human error means that the reality is this: data loss is not a matter of if, it is a matter of when.

Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity Planning must be an integral part of an organization’s risk management efforts. During the 30+ years that I have been involved in this industry, I have seen many companies take a hit to their bottom line or, in some cases, become damaged so badly that they were never able to recover.

Take the time to get ahead of this issue. Keep your recovery plans up-to-date and confirm that your supply chain meets your organization’s standards. It’s also crucial to remember that exercises are an enormously important part of this process. With disaster recovery plans in place, you will be able stay ahead of auditors and avoid any potential criticisms. However, without proper planning and exercising, the result of an actual disruptive event is usually chaotic.

Listen to Nike and Just Do It!