BUSINESS DISASTER
vendors. The market for cyber insurance
is growing rapidly and the long list of
companies revealing data breaches
explains why. You may think that hackers
target mostly large corporations, but
that is no longer the case. Every company
needs protection. Policies vary, but
coverage can include items like business
interruption, crisis management, credit
monitoring services, forensic analysis,
and third-party actions.
2) DIGITIZING RECORDS
If you operate a small office, you may
operate just fine on a paper file basis—
but not in the event of a disaster. While
the vast majority of businesses have
computer systems in place to manage
their information, some may have
certain data repositories digitized but
not others. Plan to convert essentially
all your information to electronic form,
including financial and accounting
data, documentation, customer orders,
inventory levels, and employee and
vendor contact information.
3) USING THE CLOUD
The cloud provides the advantage of
being able to store large amounts of
information on the internet rather than
on your own servers. Most companies
are already storing their data or at the
very least, data backups on the cloud so
they have the confidence of knowing
that their data is protected using
sophisticated technologies, even in the
event of a major disaster. Cloud services
are generally much less expensive than
purchasing your own storage hardware,
so using the cloud is usually a win-win
situation.
4) INCORPORATING REMOTE OPTIONS
Many companies are tied to a physical
office. This is understandable if you run
a service business, like a pet grooming
company or restaurant. However, even in
those situations, it is usually worthwhile
to give key employees the ability to work
from home or otherwise off-site. If you
haven’t done this already, look into
technology solutions that will allow
these employees to access the data they
need without compromising security.
This may allow your basic operations
to continue even if employees cannot
make it to the office.
5) TRAINING AND TESTING
Train designated employees, for
example, on how to respond to
crises such as a power outage, a
burst pipe, or a fire, and then test
them periodically to be sure they
are up-to-speed. Make certain
that key employees can connect to
company systems remotely and that
they are familiar with conferencing
technology, if necessary. Every
business will vary, so make an
assessment of your needs to help stay
operational and follow through with
implementation.
Your Waypoint broker is a valuable
resource and should be an important
part of the conversation when it
comes to disaster preparedness. To
learn more about how Waypoint
Insurance can help develop a plan to
protect you in the event of a crisis,
please contact us at 310-8442 or
check us out online at waypoint.ca +
Rowan Stewart is a Commercial
Account Executive in our Parksville
location. There he pursues his
passion for connecting with clients
and assists them in protecting their
businesses and helping them succeed.
Contact Rowan, or any one of our
Waypoint Specialists at 310-8442 or
visit us online at waypoint.ca
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