The 5 benefits of managed business continuity
Did you know that up to 60 percent of small businesses fail to reopen after a natural disaster, and over 90 percent struggle to get back online within five days? There are many reasons why businesses fail, but a significant factor is a lack of continuity planning. In fact, just under 15 percent of SMBs have a business continuity plan at all.
But what is business continuity, anyway? Let’s take a look.
Business continuity
Business continuity can mean many things. However, it’s essentially the processes you put in place to ensure you keep moving when disaster strikes. Every single company needs a business continuity plan, no matter what industry it operates in – if you ignore continuity planning, you could struggle to get back online.
The problem? Too frequently, companies assume disasters won’t affect them. They don’t think it’s worth compiling a disaster strategy. But that’s where managed business continuity comes in. Managed service providers take care of the planning for you so you can focus on running your company.
Still not convinced? Here are five reasons you’ll benefit from outsourcing your business continuity needs.
1. Enhanced disaster planning
Managed service providers are disaster planning experts. They know precisely how to design a continuity plan for your specific company’s needs.
So, outsourcing your managed business continuity needs means that your company will stay online no matter whether there’s a storm or a natural disaster. And, dedicated IT professionals, who know how your business works, are only ever a phone call away.
2. Increased employee morale
By giving your employees clear instructions, you’ll ensure they know what to do if there’s a disaster of any kind. They won’t flounder, and they’ll know what their role is.
In turn, you’ll boost employee morale, and your team will stay productive even in challenging circumstances.
3. Improved company reputation
Clients want to know that their data is safe with you. Managed business continuity reduces your risk of reputation damage because you’ll have strong, effective data protection policies in place at all times.
In other words, customers will know they can trust you, and you won’t lose your reputation just because you’re experiencing a few operational difficulties.
4. Increased cost-efficiency
Are you worried about how much managed business continuity planning will cost? Don’t be. Outsourcing your continuity needs can save you money in the long run.
How? It’s all about the downtime. Alarmingly, downtime can cost your company around $40,000 an hour, depending on your industry. The longer you’re offline, the harder it is to start up again. But how do managed service providers help? It’s simple – they reduce your downtime, so you’ll see a noticeable reduction in associated costs.
5. Enhanced cybersecurity planning
Cybersecurity is key to any successful business, but there’s no doubt that it can all get a little complicated. Hackers are increasingly sophisticated, and the threat landscape changes all the time.
Managed business continuity eliminates these concerns because you’re outsourcing your security needs to experts with access to the latest cybersecurity technology. And, although it’s impossible to eliminate every threat, you know you’ll get back online as soon as possible.
Takeaway
By outsourcing your business continuity needs to the professionals, you don’t need to worry about protecting your company’s core operations. Instead, you can focus on running and growing your business. So, for more information about managed business continuity, contact us today.
