14 DAY TRIAL // Natural disasters shut down no less than 40% of businesses on the sport, with an additional 25% closing in the following two years, according to data from the U.S. Department of Labor, reveals Cynthia Bates, the Vice President of Microsoft’s US SMB Organization.
But while the cure for a disaster might be outside the reach of affected businesses, the real panacea is in prevention.
Microsoft has outlined a comprehensive strategy in a disaster preparedness e-guide focused on small and medium businesses (SMBs) which is offering as a free download.
“By developing a disaster preparedness plan and implementing technologies that support business continuity, SMBs can give themselves solid footing and a strong defense in the wake of disaster,” the software giant says.
“Yes, doing so requires effort and investment, but when faced with the reality that your business might not make it through a disaster, is it really something you can afford to delay or neglect altogether.”
SMBs can do a number of things in order to ensure that they’ll have a fighting chance against a disaster.
The Redmond company stresses the importance of everything from keeping technologies in their organization up to date, to mapping their environments, to using online backup as well as Cloud-based backup software, hard drive replications, and a few others.
What’s worth to note is that Microsoft offers a range of technologies that can easily help SMBs recover after a disaster, including Windows Azure, Office 365, Windows Intune, virtualization products, etc.
“You probably didn’t hesitate to develop a business plan when starting your company to ensure for the growth of your business,” the software giant added.
“Similarly, preparing your business for possible disaster demands not just an awareness of the potential threats and measures for protection, but an actual plan that dictates how your business will respond to disaster.”