Many businesses – outside of the retail industry, at least – slow down over the Christmas holiday period, but an unexpected disaster can strike at any time.
So how can you protect your business over the festive season?
Here are some tips for good Christmas holiday season continuity planning:
- Plan ahead.
Every festive period brings similar problems both in terms of IT and personnel issues. One major risk that can affect any business is power failure, the effects of which can be felt long after electricity supply has been restored, so be sure to plan around such eventualities. Perhaps consider getting a UPS (Uninterrupted Power Supply Unit) for keeping your power to your IT for at least 24 hours – time enough for power to be restored hopefully! With careful planning, every organisation can have the correct plans in place to operate under all circumstances.
- Factor in the weather
As we all know, the weather can be so extreme at this time of year, which brings an increased chance of business disruption. For example, phone lines could go down, heatwaves could affect your IT cooling systems and transport could be disrupted. Have back-up plans in place for such events.
- Remember the heartbeat of every organisation is its team
While everyone will understandably want to be left alone during the holidays, you should still be sure to have contact numbers for all key team members to hand in case of an emergency.
- Think green
Turn off any lights, power systems or even servers that do not need to be up and running during the festive season and you will save money as well as doing your bit for the environment.
- Communicate
If you’re planning on closing the office at any time over the Christmas break, make sure your customers are aware of this. It’s also a good idea to provide suppliers and customer contacts with details of how to reach staff in case of emergency. A bulk email out, note on the bottom of your email signature, voice mail messaging service, or even better a personalised Christmas card with your Christmas period office hours included!
What other business continuity tips can you share with our Community Group for the Christmas holiday season?
Have a great day!
