dis-as-ter n. [OFr desastre; It disastro; L dis- + astrum; Gr astron (see Astral), star: from astrological notions: cf. ILL-STARRED] any happening that causes great harm or damage; serious or sudden misfortune; calamity.
By the dictionary definition, we are all ill-starred at the moment. From the credit crunch to the brake-slamming economy to skittish customers, virtually every business is in full damage-control mode. And while we certainly cannot change what has happened, this Disaster Preparedness special section, our third, is full of ideas to help you deal with the disaster you are experiencing while planning to either avoid or mitigate the ones to come.
A number of points struck me as particularly useful, although your take may see others as the most important.
• Don’t wait for lawyers to get involved to deal with financing issues, especially if you used credit cards to help make ends meet.
• Recession brings a number of issues to the forefront – losing staff (especially senior employees); use of more contractors to fill gaps left by shrinking staff; and temporary shuttering of differing facilities. Dealing with these realities now means that your company could avoid the disasters they may bring.
• Practice your disaster plans – from exiting during a fire or other emergency to preserving your data – there is no substitute for avoiding situations in which you are just winging it.
• Know what is critical to your company’s success and build defenses around it. The experts don’t mean a moat so much as redundancies for calamaties you cannot prevent from happening. Know how long you can do without certain functions and then build systems that keep you in business even in disaster mode.
• And above all, ask questions. Be an active participant in your company’s future. It won’t survive a disaster if you are on autopilot.
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Other stories appearing in the 2009 Disaster Preparedness Guide are:
• “Negotiating credit card debt can save business”
• “Recession presents unique threats to companies”
• “Protecting the computer is key for home businesses”
• “Planning for the worst can help avert shutdowns”
• “Rich business resources exist online”
• “Prep for calamity to survive”
• “A guide to planning for and surviving a catastrophe”
A related PBN Executive Poll, “Business continuity and disaster recovery,” appeared on Page 2 of the March 30-April 5 edition.
To view the latest Providence Business News Disaster Preparedness Guide, visit www.PBN.com/Disaster_Preparedness.
