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Dear Friend,
No one likes to think of the worst case scenarios; however the recent earthquake, hurricane and subsequent widespread flooding here in the northeast certainly underscore the need for every business to be prepared for the worst.
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Here at DocuSafe we understand that we are a critical link between our customers and their critical information. That's why several years ago we hired a professional firm to assist us in creating our Disaster Recovery/Business Continuity (DR/BC) plan. Regardless of the circumstances - hurricane, flooding etc., we are an essential element in the daily operation of our clients' businesses - they need quick access to their records. We have to be up and running so that we can respond when a customer calls - whether they need a blueprint, a medical chart, a business file or a computer backup tape.
DocuSafe Planning for Hurricane Irene
Our DR/BC plan served us well during hurricane Irene. We held a strategic meeting here at DocuSafe to discuss our plans for the possibilities Irene might present. We took several measures to ensure we were prepared for the worst case scenario including parking delivery trucks in front of every dock door to protect them from hurricane winds. Dock doors were also reinforced from the inside. We took our network down Friday night before the storm in case of a power outage that could cause problems with our servers. We were proactive in our communications, alerting our customers by email of the preemptive actions we were taking to protect our facility and our computer network and assuring them that we would be ready to serve them Monday after the storm as long as the governor's State of Emergency did not prevent us from being on the road. Though we planned for the worst, the storm did not disrupt our operations and the network was back up Sunday afternoon so that no time was lost getting down to Monday morning business.
Partnering in Preparedness: The Importance of a DR/BC Plan
A Disaster Recovery/Business Continuity plan should be a simple to use, self-defense plan that reduces the risk of business failure in an emergency. Having a business continuity plan allows the prepared to survive conditions that the unprepared will not. Planning ahead is worth the time and effort, just think-what would you do if your office was damaged or destroyed tomorrow because of some disaster? Disasters come in many forms, e.g. power outages that last for several days, flooded roads that prevent your employees from getting to work, damaged phone systems that won't allow your existing customers and your potential customers to contact you. Of course the huge disasters like floods, hurricanes, fire, earthquakes can affect an entire area, not just your facility. Companies that engage in advanced planning will limit the effects of these disasters and disruptions to their business.
There is a vast chasm between the lip service of minimal planning and a completely functional and quickly implementable business continuity plan. Remember, a DR/BC plan is about being prepared and having partners to assist you in keeping your business operational. DocuSafe understands the importance of DR/BC planning and stands ready to partner with you in creating a plan for quick recovery of your data - an essential element in getting your business back up and running. Give me a call today to discuss DR/BC and your vital records.
Best Regards,
Marvin Parker
General Manager
DocuSafe Data and Records Management
P: 609-223-8532
F: 609-259-8291
mparker@docusafe.com
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DocuSafe's General Manager, Marvin Parker, offers the following tips: |
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Tip #1: Order Records in Advance
A little advanced planning can go a long way when it comes to Mother Nature! If the forecast is calling for hurricane conditions or a blizzard and you know there are records you will need in a few days, use our "Standard by Date" function to schedule those records for delivery in advance. In this way, if your company's power is out or you can't make it to work, our system will automatically activate that order on the scheduled date and the records will be delivered as scheduled. The "Standard by Date" function allows delivery to be scheduled for any date in the future.
Tip #2: Recovery Site Notification
Does your company have a recovery site in case of disaster? In case of a disaster (fire, earthquake, damage to your roof, etc.) that keeps you from operating at your existing location, a disaster recovery site outfitted with desks, phones, computers etc. will let you resume basic operations. DocuSafe can keep your disaster recovery location on file and in case of disaster, deliver your backup tapes to the alternate location so that you can get your systems back up and running quickly. Be sure to notify DocuSafe of your disaster recovery location.
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- Little Known "Waffle House Index" a Key Measure of Storm Impact: Read about this unusual restaurant indicator used by the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to assess storm damage. Click to read more.
- Tips for Making Your Privacy Policy Clear & Comprehensive: Most corporate privacy policies are too long and too difficult for consumers to understand according to the Federal Trade Commission. Read this article for some tips on revising your company privacy policy.
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- New "Locking" Records Storage Box: We are still ironing out the details on the prototype for the new locking records storage box mentioned in last month's issue. After 2 teams tested the prototype, we found that there were kinks in the design that needed refining. So we are back to the drawing board… more news soon.
- Solar Power Update: As you may know, DocuSafe is in the process of going green! This summer we installed a 660 kilowatt solar array on our roof - about 2,600 solar panels. All of the panels and electrical switches are installed. Solar energy is being stored, but is not yet live to our facility. We hope to announce that our warehouses and offices are operating on solar power very soon! More details to come next month.
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