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Disaster Preparedness | Safeguarding Your Most Valuable Assets - Company Knowledge
by Anne Sych
Management Articles
Published on this site: December 9th, 2010 - See
more articles from this month
Nobody likes to have to think about disaster preparedness, and
many do not give thought to safeguarding 'company knowledge',
but among other tangible catastrophic losses, it can mean the
difference between your business making it or going under when a
disastrous event occurs.
We all ensure that we have adequate insurance to cover physical
property loss - but what about safeguarding your company
knowledge? Critical company knowledge must be retained and
readily accessible to return your business to its 'normal'
operating state as quickly as possible.
Some examples of critical company knowledge are:
- Employee knowledge: In an emergency employees may not be able
to get to work, leaving others to have to step in and perform
their tasks. Documenting standard procedures and vital employee
knowledge empowers others to quickly step in and do essential
jobs.
- Emergency procedures: Having 'easy to access' emergency
procedures in place is critical to every business. Documenting
emergency procedures for physical facilities, customer and
employee care, financial, and organizational management may not
only help reduce the level of crisis, but for some businesses may
reduce injury and harm. Centralized documentation ensures that
everyone instantly has access to the same protocol.
- Legal Documentation: A knowledge base is an ideal place to
store electronic copies of tax and legal documents, licenses,
warranties, insurance documents, etc. Should an event occur and
you lose paper documentation, you will have immediate access to
electronic copies.
- Business Recovery: It is also essential to document what is
involved in restoring your business to normal conditions. This
includes:
- Employee Communications - informing employees of important and
timely information.
- Customer Communications - policies on 'what' to say to your
customers 'when'.
- Data Communications - protocol for setting up computers and
servers (logins/passwords, etc) in the correct sequence.
When selecting a knowledge management solution, it is essential
that your information is stored on a web-based platform, so that
it is accessible everywhere with a web browser. In an emergency
you may not be able to get to your physical building; anything
stored there may be useless if you cannot access it. In addition,
if you are well prepared you have more to offer the community,
who may not be as prepared as you are. This is one way we can all
support one another in difficult times.
So take the time to ensure your business is fully prepared for
any unexpected disaster, whether it is something as ordinary as a
snowstorm, or disastrous as a tornado. You have invested so much
of your time and resources building your business.... ensure you
are protecting your investment.
Anne Sych, Marketing Manager for Novo Solutions, Inc.
Novo Solutions, Inc. is an Independent Software Vendor (ISV)
in Virginia Beach, Virginia specializing in Customer Support
Software. Free trial versions of the Novo Help Desk Software,
Knowledge Base Software and suite of web-based Customer Support
Solutions are available. Contact: [email protected] for
more information. http://www.novosolutions.com/
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