Being situated on the East Coast of the US, we are no strangers to the effects of hurricanes and tropical storms.  As of today we are watching hurricane ‘Earl’, which is slated to bring us bad weather at the very least –and hopefully nothing worse.  But as cautioned, we take the time around here to be prepared for the worst….just in case.

Nobody likes to have to think about disaster preparedness, but among other catastrophic losses, it can mean the difference between your business making it or going under with ‘the storm’.  Critical company knowledge must be retained and readily accessible to return your business to its ‘normal’ operating state as quickly as possible.

Examples of critical knowledge are:

  • Employee knowledge – employees may not be able to get to work; others may need to perform their tasks.  Documented knowledge empowers others to step in and do essential jobs.
  • Emergency procedures – this is critical to every business. Having documented emergency procedures for physical facilities, customer/employee care, financial, and organizational management will not only help reduce crisis, but for some businesses may reduce injury and harm (not to mention law suits).
  • Legal Documentation – copies of tax and legal documents, licenses, warranties, insurance documents, etc.
  • Business recovery – document what is involved in restoring your business to normal conditions, such as employee communications, customer communications, and data communications (logins/passwords, setting up computers/servers, etc.).

It is essential that the knowledge is web-based, so that it is accessible everywhere.  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 prepared you have more to offer the community (who may not be as prepared).  This is one way we can all support one another.

So take the time to ensure your business is prepared for any unexpected disaster, whether it be hurricane, flood, fire, or earthquake.  You have invested so much of your time and resources building your business….ensure you are protecting your investment.

For informationon our knowledge management software see: https://novosolutions.com/knowledge-base-software/