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It does not matter what the risks are, crossing your fingers and hoping nothing awful happens is not the way forward! To be able to not only cope with but also survive the unexpected, you must be prepared for it.
Large corporations are much more strategic in their business continuity and disaster recovery planning than SMEs, and we would encourage everyone to follow their lead. As part of our consultancy services, we use enterprise-grade technologies to give SMEs the same tools and advantages of their big competitors.
Whilst London Mayor Sadiq Khan may still hope that Brexit does not happen, he does acknowledge the value of taking part in the negotiations. Last year, in an interview for LBC radio, he said, “give us a seat around the negotiating table, so when a deal is done, London doesn’t miss out”. If his strategy is to sit back and merely hope that London doesn’t miss out, the chances are it will. By trying to take an active role in the future of the city, he is not leaving anything to chance.
Covering every eventuality
Our own strategy covers every aspect of the way we work, not just a simple disaster recovery plan in case of a catastrophic IT failure. In financial terms, we know how we would deal with the effects of a large client not paying their bill. In staffing terms, we have thought about what to do in the event a key member of staff leaves at short notice, and how we will cover their workload whilst looking for their replacement.
A key component of a good IT strategy is to consider every eventuality and ask yourself how long your business can afford to be down – days? Hours? Minutes? Your strategy then needs to be based on a rational valuation in response to your potential losses and how much you would potentially need to spend to get back on your feet.
In terms of IT there are many possible scenarios none of us wants to experience, but it is almost inevitable that all businesses will experience difficulties of some sort. GDPR will change things too – with mandatory reporting of any type of breach, you need to work out in advance whose responsibility it is to do what.
If you would like us to help you with strategy or help you with the duties of a virtual CIO, contact us to find out more.