Regardless of the scale of a given disaster, it may be several days or even weeks before disaster assistance can reach every organization. And despite the insurance industry’s expertise in the area of risk, many firms are unprepared to recover themselves without outside assistance following even the smallest disaster.

Preparing for disaster goes beyond a written plan that sits on a bookshelf. It must employ simple, executable strategies for quickly accessing the assets and data necessary to restore communications and serve clients. Many organizations often overlook key preparedness issues including access to power generators, office equipment, IT infrastructure and enough Internet bandwidth to connect to your agency management system.

Interruptions can take many forms and seldom give us warning. Below are the basic topics and best practices to consider when developing a program, no matter the size of your organization:

Office space

• What would you do if your offices were inaccessible tomorrow?
• Where could you go to continue serving your clients?
• Can your employees reliably work from home despite distractions, poor Internet speed, phone redirection and other potential lapses in productivity?

Power

• What if an event blacks out electricity for days or weeks? Don’t just consider large weather events like thunderstorms or tornadoes, but also blown transformers, improper construction digging and even automobile accidents.
• How will you secure one or more generators to keep critical functions and equipment operating during a regional event?

Office computer technology and equipment

• Which technology and computer equipment is critical to your daily operations?
• How long can you operate without access to your agency management system or off-site data?
• Outline a plan to replace PCs, software, server, printers and other equipment.

Communications

• What are your options for access to phone and Internet if a long-term outage affects connectivity?
• How will you process claims, renewals and new business?
• Can you quickly re-route existing phone lines to a voice mailbox or cell phones?

A comprehensive plan should address both proactive continuity planning and, if necessary, disaster recovery. As we have learned from recent events, an executable strategy for surviving these disasters is more important than ever.

For more information on preparing your agency, including tools like “An Insurance Professional’s Guide to Preparedness,” visit Big “I”-endorsed recovery solutions provider Agility Recovery’s Library & Resources webpage.