It’s not surprising that nowadays, the world of business operates mainly online, relying on data, files, folders, and emails. Everything seems to work smoothly and quickly as long as there is no crisis. In case of that, it might be extremely hard to restore the lost data and, consequently, provide the company with exactly the same set of files.

A dangerous situation, not only for business but also for general safety and balance, is the occurrence of a natural disaster – a hurricane, a flood, a tsunami, or an earthquake. We all tend to think that these threats do not concern us, but in fact, they are quite probable in many regions of the world.

Therefore, professional IT solutions are needed to keep the data safe. You can find your local IT help center, as, for example, the one here, which operates in Chicago.

The question remains the same. How to protect businesses and data from natural disasters?

How natural disasters affect businesses

Of course, it is hard to predict how destructive and malicious a flood or an earthquake might be, as it depends on plenty of factors. But regardless of the scale, such phenomenons are not beneficial for individuals or for business.

The first repercussion is, obviously, the financial loss from natural disasters. People are no longer able to think about anything, but their basic, everyday needs, so many fields of business start to be redundant. Think, for instance, about the fitness or beauty businesses – they might generate a huge loss.

Apart from the obvious bankruptcy issues, a natural disaster might also destroy the workplace, equipment, and, what’s even more important – data. Of course, computers or other devices can be easily replaced, but the situation is more complicated in the case of data. Below, you can find a few useful tips on how you can protect your data in case of natural disaster:

Make backup copies

Making a lot of backup copies seems to be the most reasonable solution in case of every business that wants to stay safe regardless of the global or local situation.

The copies of files, databases, videos might be stored online, for example, on Google Drive, or other platforms – therefore, they can be reached from every point of the world, and the risk of losing them is minimized.

Another option is to copy the data onto a hard drive or pen drives (if the amount of data is smaller). You need to remember, though, that this might be quite risky, as the devices themselves can also get destroyed.

To read more about backup copies, click here.

Work online

Using various online tools for working seems to be a beneficial option when it comes to data restoring issues. If your company works 100% online, it is not only convenient from the perspective of easy access to all the data, but it’s also convenient in case of a breakdown or a natural disaster.

There are many online tools that can be used, ranging between the applications from Google (Google Drive, Google Sheets, Google Docs, and others), to platforms dedicated to cooperation, such as TeamWork or Jira.

To learn more about business online tools, have a look at this website.

Replicate the location

Another great method of protecting business data is to use the so-called geographic redundancy. This term refers to copying all the company’s data to the additional, secondary location in order to keep it safe in case of a disaster in the primary place of their storage.

This kind of service may be costly, as it is usually managed externally, but it’s worth trying if you worry about the safety of your data. You can read more about this solution here.

Create an emergency business plan

To minimize the risk of your business suffering from the possible repercussions of a sudden crisis or disaster, it’s a good idea to create an emergency business plan. It should include all the actions and changes needed if an unexpected situation appears, for example, changes in human resources, the structure of the organization, its methods, and goals.

This kind of approach can be beneficial for both managers and employees.

Conclusion

Although nowadays it seems that large businesses are prepared for everything, it’s advisable to consider all possible circumstances and scenarios.

The situation with COVID, for example, has taught us all to think of possible alternatives and become more flexible not only in terms of business issues but generally in life.

It’s good to treat it as a lesson and try to keep the data secure and protected.