Katrina, Rita, Wilma; Prevent Catastrophic Business Loss

Mother Nature reminds us of the humility storms like Katrina and Rita can have on us. In my talks with people about disaster recovery, I hear a lot of comments like ‘who cares about where I work’ and ‘my first concern is my safety’. There doesn’t seem to be a large concern about the records that people have at work. Sure, almost all people said that their information was backed-up on computer. But again, what about all those paper records?

Let’s face it, the primary concern of all people in a catastrophic event like a hurricane or tornado is safety. But let’s fast forward a week or two after the event. Doesn’t the reality of having to provide not only for yourself but for your family start coming into play? While your immediate need might be your safety, eventually you are hoping that you have a job to return to. Look at how many people were put out of work because of the recent storms.

Many companies plan ahead to prevent this type of loss. In Mississippi, a company had scanned all of their paper records and turned them into digital assets. The computer took it on the chin, but they were able to get the hard drives cleaned and were back in business within 48 hours. While you may think that this is not your concern, you really do have a stake in catastrophic loss because of what it can do to a company and its future.

Why do you think the demand for Records Managers has increased ever since Sarbanes Oxley came into effect? Add a couple of Level 5 storms to wipe out a lot of paper records and you can see that ‘not everything is backed up on the computer’. If you have started digital record retention, I commend you. You are ahead of a lot of people. If you haven’t, it’s not too late. Don’t wait for the storm to hit to realize that not only did you lose your security at home, but your security at work as well.

Want to learn more about preventing catastrophic loss? Come to a Lunch and Learn to take control of your vital business records.