Disaster Recovery Plan: Business Owner Overview

What Is a Disaster Recovery Plan?

A Disaster Recovery Plan is your business’s roadmap for getting back up and running when the unexpected happens. Whether it’s a wildfire, severe winter storm, cyber attack, or equipment failure, this documented strategy outlines exactly how your company will protect critical data, maintain operations, and restore normal business functions. Think of it as your business insurance policy that goes beyond financial protection – it’s your step-by-step guide to survival and continuity when disaster strikes. This brief will focus primarily on how to prepare for disasters that occur from weather, loss of power, and internet. Cybersecurity incidents and data breaches require their own set of planning and action steps.

What Does It Do For My Company?

• Protects Your Critical Operations – Identifies your most important business processes, data, and systems, then creates specific backup and recovery procedures for each component

• Provides Clear Emergency Procedures – Establishes communication protocols, emergency contacts, and immediate response steps so your team knows exactly what to do during a crisis

• Minimizes Downtime and Revenue Loss – Sets recovery time goals and implements backup systems that can get your business operational again within hours instead of days or weeks

• Fits Your Budget and Resources – Can be scaled to match your company’s size and capabilities, starting with the most critical systems and expanding over time

What is the Impact and Benefit for My Company?

• Keeps Revenue Flowing – Your business stays operational or recovers quickly, preventing the devastating revenue loss that forces many small businesses to close permanently after disasters

• Maintains Customer Trust – Customers continue receiving service with minimal interruption, preserving relationships and preventing them from switching to competitors

• Reduces Stress and Uncertainty – You and your team have confidence knowing there’s a proven plan in place, eliminating the panic and confusion that typically follows unexpected events

Here’s a short checklist to help your office prepare for power and internet loss.

Before an Outage

• ☐ Install UPS battery backups for routers, firewalls, servers, and key workstations
• ☐ Use surge protectors on all essential equipment
• ☐ Set up a backup internet option (mobile hotspot, secondary ISP, or failover)
• ☐ Ensure critical files are accessible offline or backed up to the cloud
• ☐ Confirm laptops and mobile devices are fully charged

Team Readiness

• ☐ Share outage response roles and responsibilities
• ☐ Maintain an up-to-date emergency contact list
• ☐ Confirm remote work and VPN access works properly
• ☐ Establish a non-internet communication method (text alerts or phone tree)

Supplies to Keep On Hand

• ☐ Flashlights or battery-powered lanterns
• ☐ Power banks and charging cables
• ☐ Printed emergency procedures and key contacts

After an Outage

• ☐ Safely power systems back on in proper order
• ☐ Confirm internet, phones, and critical systems are operational
• ☐ Review what worked and update the plan as needed

Questions I Should Be Asking

1. How long can my business survive without access to our critical systems and data before we start losing customers and revenue?
2. What would happen to my employees, customers, and operations if our main location became inaccessible for several days or weeks?
3. Do I have reliable ways to communicate with my team and customers during an emergency, and can we continue serving clients from alternative locations?
4. How do I prepare for a cybersecurity breach? Check out this article on Incident Response Plans.

Why Granite?

A Disaster Recovery Plan transforms you from a business owner hoping nothing bad happens into a prepared leader ready to guide your company through any challenge. Just like Park County partnered with Granite Technology Solutions to ensure their municipal operations could continue serving their community regardless of technical difficulties, your business can have that same level of preparedness and confidence. Granite’s disaster recovery consultations, included with managed IT services, provide you with Montana-based experts who understand the unique challenges our state presents – from wildfire seasons to harsh winters – and create solutions that work for real Montana businesses.