Could Your Business Function Without Computers?

Companies that are actively seeking growth would be well advised to have a backup plan in place in case of emergency. Businesses that don't have a solid continuity plan in place will seldom survive accidents and disasters. Without a business continuity plan, your company may be forced to operate without using computers. Could your company survive?

Protect Your Bottom Line
The thought of doing business without computers may be inconceivable for us in the 21st century, but it must be possible, right? Businesses did, in fact, function for a very long time before computers were invented. Printed resources are certainly not obsolete in today's business world. If managed well, printed materials can complement your company, and certainly come in handy in the event that you have to operate your business continuity plan.

Think about it; if an accident occurs and wipes out your computers and/or servers, a digital business continuity plan outline will be useless since you won't be able to access it. Your company needs to have a business continuity plan outline printed, including instructions on how to continue operations in the event of a computer crash.

We also advise that you keep a few copies offsite, in case your building is compromised, or worse, something happens to you. What if you slip on the winter ice and end up with a broken hip, or worse, wind up in a coma? You should include in your printed business continuity plan instructions on what to do if you become incapacitated, and you will want your subordinates to know exactly where the printed plan is located and they will need to be familiar with it as well.

A hyped-up disaster (like a polar vortex) may seem out of the picture for you, especially if you haven't experienced anything like it before. However, keep in mind that an unexpected accident could easily occur that causes a power outage for your business and wipes out your computers for a whole afternoon. You'll then be paying your employees who can't get any work done as a result of the downtime. If your business is prepared for these scenarios before they happen, you'll have a much greater chance of success.

Computer-less Plans
It will likely take some out-of-the-box thinking to fabricate an emergency plan for your business that revolves around not having computers. However, the concept is not extremely far-fetched. For instance, many retail stores carry their old carbon-printing credit card sliders and antiquated cash registers around in case of emergency. Sure, it may take longer to process a sale, but their customers appreciate being able to still make the transaction. The last thing they want to tell a customer after they've spent time around your store is that they can't use credit cards to make a transaction.

Another industry that utilizes a non-technical backup plan is the banking industry. In the event of an emergency, paper ledgers are the name of the game. In fact, finance students are still required to learn how to use them. Banking is almost entirely automated, and has been for years. However, you can bet that your local bank is ready for a disaster, and their customers will be pleased at their responsiveness.

Your Continuity Plan
Is your company prepared for an accident that permanently or temporarily wipes out your computers? How would your business function if every computer in Northern Virginia, Maryland and Washington DC got destroyed? The technology website, TechRepublic emphasizes the value of drafting manual procedures: "Hopefully, these guidelines will just gather dust in desk drawers-but if you ever have a total outage, you will appreciate how valuable it is to have 'old fashioned' methods of doing business-and employees who are trained to operate 'by hand' if they have to."

It's extremely valuable to have a business continuity plan in place before an accident occurs and your network goes down. Computerware can work with you to develop your own corporate business continuity plan. We also provide IT support, both remotely and in person. We are able to be automatically notified of any issues that occur with your network, and assist right away in fixing the issue. If you are interested in keeping your business ahead of the disasters, give us a call at (703) 821-8200!