Business Hazard ID – What’s the point?
Why would anyone want to spend
their precious business time on problems that only happen in bad dreams? Businesses today must stay focused on their profit centers or they will fail. Any activity that deviates from profitability better either be required by law, or have a good reason for the expenditure. Most business have insurance, alarms and some form of data back-up. Do these statements sound familiar? The answer is yes for most businesses.
Too bad for them, they are living in a happy dream, ready to turn into a nightmare, a catastrophe, a total loss of everything at a moment’s notice. Most businesses are not insured for business continuity, no alarm system can restore what is lost or stolen, and no amount of onsite data backup will save your data or your business from a fire, flood or malicious employee. Your dedicated police, fire and medical responders will not be putting back your business lost to tragedies. By some measures, over 90% of US business do not have a Business Continuity Plan.
We are talking about protection from natural, man-made, and technological hazards. According to an article in Security Magazine “insured losses from natural catastrophes totaled about $38 billion in 2013. In 2012, due to a more damaging Atlantic hurricane season, natural catastrophe losses reached $75 billion.” So, just imagine what the cost of the uninsured losses were, and how many business experienced complete cessation, and how many people lost their livelihoods with horrific impacts to their families! Much of those losses could have been avoided with just a modest amount of time and money well spent.
To think that in today’s reality of technological dependence, crime and crazy weather events that tragedy can’t happen to your business, is likely to end up in the category of regrettable, wishful thinking. There is an easy solution to protecting your business to a much greater extent, it only takes a modest amount of time, and it can be done in stages within existing budgets: a Business Continuity Plan. Implemented with an expert your continuity plan will be much better, however the free State and Federal on-line resources for emergency management and business continuity are vast. You need to go beyond your alarm system sales person, insurance agent, and IT support company – sadly most of them only care about the recurring revenue you pay to them. You need a comprehensive approach to risk management.
The point is: Identify your hazards exposures and make a Business Continuity Plan before it is too late.
Please stay safe, Felix
