10 Steps to Minimize the Impact of a Disaster

As the Northeast cleans up in the wake of Hurricane Irene, it's appropriate to review and implement some key business continuity best practices.

Those of us who live in the Northeastern U.S. know more now than we ever thought we would about storm surges, go kits, transportation alternatives, D batteries and Weather Channel. I was fortunate -- in my sixth-floor apartment on the east side of Hoboken, N.J., the main impact of Hurricane Irene was anxiety (no floods, lost power, etc., unlike many other parts of the city). Still, I did not mind that I had filled my bathtub, stocked up on water and food, and kept my chargers nearby. I would rather prepare for the worst and feel sheepish afterward than regret that I didn't take things more seriously.

Insurance companies and other financial institutions have to run their businesses preparing for those worst-case scenarios. For anyone who needs a reminder, here is a very handy checklist that appeared on the web site of our sibling brand Bank Systems & Technology, from Zach Duke, EVP of Business Development at Safe Systems, Inc. , a firm that provides disaster recovery planning services. Among his recommendations:

Spend one hour reviewing what you would do if a disaster were to strike tomorrow.

Check that you have a complete inventory of all critical data equipment, including servers, workstations, and peripherals.

Review your DR program to determine the minimum people, processes, and equipment that you need to provide your most critical services.

To read the entire checklist of "10 Things You Should Do Today to Minimize the Impact of a Disaster," click here.

Katherine Burger is Editorial Director of Bank Systems & Technology and Insurance & Technology, members of UBM TechWeb's InformationWeek Financial Services. She assumed leadership of Bank Systems & Technology in 2003 and of Insurance & Technology in 1991. In addition to ... View Full Bio