Power 停机s, 灾难s and other 中断s happen. And thousands of businesses around the globe are affected by them every year, with lost profits ranging into the millions, if not billions. So how can your business protect itself and stay open when the unexpected strikes? Here are five common business continuity strategies that many companies rely on.

When and if 灾难 strikes, is your business going to continue to operate and cater to 客户 despite a possible long-term hardware failure or a network 中断? If you answer no or are not even sure what to do, you are part of a majority of business owners who have not considered 灾难 preparedness and the crucial role it plays in business survival.

Even a single second of 停机时间 at your business can cause a ripple effect that sees operations become unhinged. While most 业务 Continuity Plans (BCPs) take into account longer power 停机s, short ones can be just as dangerous to your company.

You are protecting your small or medium-sized business with insurance - of course you are. But is that really enough? The recent increase in natural 灾难s has led savvy business owners to also take out business interruption insurance, which covers many additional scenarios in the event that you are unable to carry on operating.

Having a 业务 Continuity Plan (BCP) is great, but only if you know when it needs to be invoked. If you don’t know when it should take effect, then you might as well not have one at all. While a lot of business owners might believe it is pretty obvious when a BCP needs to be invoked, the process is not always so cut and dry.

There is nothing worse for a company and its 客户 than being forced to close because of inclement 天气. And with 冬天 almost upon us once again, now is a good time to make sure your business continuity 计划 is prepared for anything and everything mother nature is looking to throw your way.