A catastrophic data loss. In this wired world, it's the worst-case scenario for any small business owner. And from massive equipment failures to natural disasters, the threats are all too real.
According to data from the University of Texas, 94 percent of companies that suffer a catastrophic data loss either never reopen or cease operations within two years. Could your business make it?
There are several factors to take into account when it comes to disaster preparedness. Some are truly existential; others are merely about productivity. But all are important.
Backups
How is your information stored? And I mean all of your information. Personnel records. LOAs and contracts. Production documentation. Insurance documents. Is it scattered, some on paper, some on computer hard drives? Is it on an in-house server? Are you even sure?
If your mission-critical data is stored on paper or digitally in the office itself, the odds are good that a major event could cause significant harm to your company. Without redundant backups in disparate off-site locations, even an extremely localized event could completely wipe out a portion of your business’ key documents – an eventuality that can cripple a company.
File Access
Key from a productivity standpoint is remote access to information. If digital files are stored locally, a simple power outage – to say nothing of a larger event – can effectively shut down a business until utilities are restored. But if files are stored off-site, employees can perform at least some work from home or other remote locations, no matter the conditions in your company’s physical office.
Disaster Recovery
If the worst happened and some of your company’s physical infrastructure – computers, servers, phones, etc. – needed to be scrapped, how fast could your business recover? Would it take days or weeks to obtain new equipment, find license keys, reinstall software and construct a new local network? When would your workflows be back to normal – if ever?
A Potential Answer: EDMS
We kept all of these things in mind when we were developing our cloud-based electronic document management system, SAFE CLOUD. We wanted to ensure that any organization that used the product was able to keep its workflows and mission-critical content – documents, PDFs, emails, images and more – accessible from secure off-site servers, and backed up in redundant data centers.
That means your data is always safe, secure and accessible by authorized users anywhere in the world. Regardless of the scale of the event, a robust cloud-based electronic document management system allows you to keep your business running.
Is EDMS the only answer to the looming threat of catastrophic data loss or power outage? Probably not. I'd love to hear your plan to keep things running if the worst happens. Share away – by exchanging ideas, we might be able to help fellow AIIM users keep things going.
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