According to a recent Touche Ross study, the survival rate for companies without a disaster recovery plan is less than 10%. It’s difficult to think ahead and to have the foresight that something monumental will happen, forcing you into decisions you never want to make. The reality is that at some point in the lifecycle of our business we will have to deal a disaster. What matters most is how you will recover. Many firms end up closing, selling, or starting over after a disaster, but it doesn’t have to end, there is hope after disasters, you just need to be prepared. I will discuss what you need to do before and after a disaster.

Knowing that a disaster can happen at any time, it is critical to have a plan in place with every employee understanding what their role is during and after a disaster. Determine who is responsible for emailing and calling clients and vendors. Ensure this information is stored safely out of the office. Assess what is salvageable and what is not, will you simply replace your computers and servers, will you attempt to repair it, or will you lease or rent equipment until you can replace it. Assign one primary person and one secondary person who is responsible for getting data back online.

The moment a disaster has occurred you need to notify clients, employees, and vendors. You should have an offsite copy of client contact information that you can quickly email or call. They should also be prioritized, people who rely on you should be at the top of the list, people who only need your attention once a month or less should be towards the bottom. Create a form letter before an incident happens because once a disaster occurs your mind will not be prepared to write a well thought out letter. Consider using your company’s blog as a way for clients, vendors, employees, friends, and families to stay connected with what is happening without flooding your cell phone with calls.

Once notifications have been established you need to consider infrastructure, assessing what has been damaged and what needs to be replaced to get your firm back online. There are many options you will have to consider at this point, decide whether to rent, lease, or buy new. Beyond hardware, you will need to consider software, your databases, and all of your files. What will you need to get back to a workable state?

Before a disaster happens, you need to consider onsite and offsite locations for your data. Beyond backing up your databases and files, you need to evaluate restore procedures and who is responsible to start the process. How long will it take? One key factor when determining your restoration process is examining how long your business can survive without your data. This is the most crucial aspect of living through a disaster is knowing when you can get back to normalcy.

After you’ve determined your needs and risks, you should put together a comprehensive plan for your firm and distribute it to your staff members. Ensure they understand every aspect of the plan and who is responsible for what. Sharing the load not only makes it easier to execute, but establishes that every person is involved in getting the company back in a working order quickly.