David Sturges, Chief Executive Officer at hosted desktop company WorkPlaceLive, discusses how to prepare a contingency plan and ensure that when bad weather strikes, it can be business as usual.
This week, many parts of the UK have been disrupted by heavy snowfall following last month’s severe flooding and storms. Many are predicting a very cold winter this year and companies will need to consider how snow and poor weather conditions could impact their business. Many employees will struggle to get into the office during bad weather, which could have a big impact on productivity. Now is the time for companies to think ahead and put in place contingency plans to ensure it can be business as usual during the winter months. Here are some tips from David Sturges, Chief Executive Officer at hosted desktop company, WorkPlaceLive, www.workplacelive.com, on how to prepare a contingency plan and ensure that when bad weather strikes, it can be business as usual.
The first consideration for businesses is having a short disaster recovery plan – even it is just one page long. It can make all the difference and give you a head start if the office is hit by floods or snow and you can’t get in. The plan should therefore include details of another location where you could move to if these events occurred and how you would move your equipment in a hurry and how to redirect your phone. Make sure all the information you need such as your ISP Providers and passwords and other important documentation stored in a second location. Also, make sure you back up all your data regularly and that the backup data is taken off site or alternatively, use a remote back up system. Get the longest life uninterruptable power supply (UPS) you can afford for your server. If you do have power cuts or spikes, this means your server will be protected and can shut itself down correctly.
However, businesses that support remote working using cloud computing technologies don’t have to deal with such issues as it can be ‘business as usual’ even if all their employees have to stay at home to work. If companies opt for a hosted desktop solution based on cloud computing, employees are able to work from wherever they are located using any device provided they have an internet connection. They can then log onto their own desktops remotely and won’t need to be in the office as they are not reliant on the office servers to access their emails and files.
The London 2012 Olympics showcased what can be achieved when businesses support flexible working. Many companies allowed their employees to work remotely and the city didn’t grind to a halt; transport moved efficiently and companies didn’t see a fall in productivity in spite of the fact many employees worked at home during this period. Just think what could have happened if those same businesses had forced employees to get to the office? It could have been a transport nightmare with many business hours lost simply by commuting. Many companies however are understandably nervous about allowing flexible working, thinking that it means productivity levels fall and their employees are not actually working. This isn’t really the case provided that businesses have systems in place to monitor work done away from the office. Many can find people are more productive at home away from the usual office distractions.
With predictions from the governor from the Bank of England that the UK may face a triple dip recession next year, most businesses will be cautious about their budgets and IT spend. Adopting cloud computing also can save businesses money, from the reduced investment in IT software and administration. A cloud computing provider will take away the burden of all IT administration from a company. They will also be hosting services for lots of companies, keeping costs low and so businesses only pay for what they use. For start-up companies as well it is a much more efficient way to set up in business by skipping hardware procurement and capital expenditure and it can be a faster way for businesses to grow, as it is quick and easy to add new users or processes to the system.
Security is another key benefit. Until now, one of the biggest barriers to cloud computing adoption has been fears over security. Understandably, companies have felt nervous about outsourcing their data and information to a third party supplier. Many senior managers in business cite this as one of their main concerns, however having all your companies data secure in a UK datacentre is much more secure, plus not having to worry about backups or disaster recovery should your in-house servers fail is one less thing for companies to think about.
For companies to have confidence in the security of their data, they should work with a trusted cloud computing provider that can manage and store their data in a secure UK data centre behind firewalls to ensure security is watertight. The cloud computing provider will also have the most up-to-date and robust firewalls and software – something companies who manage their own IT often don’t. So if companies want to safeguard themselves against lost working days, especially over the winter months – adopting cloud computing and supporting remote working can be one less thing a company has to deal with. With the option to also save money, free themselves from an IT administration, plus the added security benefits – more companies should be moving into the cloud.
