George Mindling Column 9-24-1999 - Protect That Modem!

 Protect That Modem!

With the advent of personal computers and several great, easy-to-use software packages, many accounting and business programs now run right in the small office with a minimum of training or education.  But important data held on those programs are in danger without certain protection.

Most owners have some type of surge protection on their electric power to protect their computers. Indeed, surges can be devastating to any sensitive electronic machine.  However, few protect their modems.  Modems are the devices that allow machines to communicate over regular telephone lines.  While the local telephone companies install lightning protection at the demarc (the point in the telephone line where their responsibility stops and the business owners starts), a lightning strike will almost always damage a modem.

While few modems are protected, they can use the same protection offered by a good, solid UPS that incorporates telephone protection in the same case as power protection.  No, not that UPS, the other one, the Uninterruptible Power Supply.  

A UPS offers not only surge protection, but protection against power loss as well.  Severe damage to the hard drive can occur when power is lost or dropped while writing to the hard drive.  After two drive crashes, I haven't had a hard drive failure since installing UPS units on our office PCs.  A good UPS is relatively inexpensive compared to the cost of what it protects.  Prices range from under $100 to several hundred dollars for office type UPS. 

The size of the UPS unit needed depends on the type of equipment plugged into it, the length of time the battery back must function, and the ability to report automatically to another location.  Large computer installations all have UPS backup power as a power standard.  These larger units are tied into a power grid and must be installed by qualified electricians.  The new office units are small plug in boxes. Most fit under a desk, alongside the PC they serve.  The batteries in the small units are easy to replace if needed.  The battery backup in any UPS is intended for orderly shutdown after a certain time frame.

If power isn't restored in say, five minutes, close down and power off.  All data should be intact on the hard drive ready to fill out the forms when the power comes back on.

Your customers will love you.  Your accountant will love you.  The IRS will love you. So will the Florida Bureau of Unemployment Compensation.  And the sales tax people.  And everyone else who needs you data.

George Mindling  © 1999

George Mindling Column 9-17-1999 -Where to Start

Where to Start

The journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step. The journey to a solid business recovery plan begins with the simple realization that one is needed.

Business interruptions come in many different variations, from minor irritations to the major problems that will actually shut the doors of a business. Experience has proven that planning for the "show stoppers" can actually prevent those show stoppers from closing your business.

In the corporate world, an analysis of the complete business is maintained to determine the actual portions of the business that must remain functional in order for the business to remain viable. Those services or functions are ranked based on their importance to the success of the business. Plans are then developed to reinstate any of those services that may be lost due to unforeseen circumstances. Large corporations usually have staffs that do nothing but prepare for interruptions that may in fact never come.

The business analysis is called risk assessment. It means knowing what actions or circumstances will be an interruption that can be sustained temporarily, to those that will stop cash flow and jeopardize the business.

In the normal business day, for example, if a manager calls in sick, the load can be picked up or deferred until the manager's return. As long as the absence is temporary, no action is required on the business owner's part. However, if a manager leaves a company permanently without warning, the situation is graver and now requires action. Something must be done to fill the position so the business can continue without interruption.

Is there an employee ready for the task, or must the company hire from outside the business. Does the owner assume the task personally? These are normal business decisions done on a daily basis in every company.

Contingency planning is the same basic process, only done beforehand. It is a detailed plan of everything relative to the business, from loss of vendor's supplies, to the loss of power and water or even telephone service. The resulting plan can be implemented with surprisingly good results.

Planning doesn't have to be a painful struggle to undertake. The resources to assist are available to the small business owner from SCORE, to the local Chamber of Commerce.

The Red Cross has planning documents available to assist in disaster preparation. Disaster Recovery Journal maintains an informative, free web page at http://www.drj.com.

Contingency Planning and Management also has a great, free page, even though you must register, at http://www.ContingencyPlanning.com. Picking up a pad and a pencil is a great second step.

George Mindling © 1999

George Mindling Column 8-20-1999 - Now What?

Now What?

When you are finally allowed into the area that used to be your business, the first thing that strikes you is the absolute devastation. Where there used to be sinks are only PVC pipes sticking up from the concrete. What used to be your roof is laying across most of your work and service areas. There are no windows with glass, and quite often, no walls at all. Your PCs are lying in the debris, as are all of your file cabinets. Water runs out of any remaining desk drawers. While you are standing in shock, trying to comprehend the fact that you are now out of business, your lead foreman shuffles through the debris that used to be inventory and says, "I gotta have a pay advance, I need money right now!!!"

You have to put it all back together and make it a working, profitable business again. The storm could have been a hurricane. It could have been a tornado. It doesn't matter.

It doesn't happen here? I lived in Kendale Lakes in southwest Miami when Andrew went through. We were fortunate, only losing part of my roof and having my 120 mph rated garage door blow in. My daughter lived in Cutler Ridge, right in the path of the most severe weather of the storm. She and her husband lost everything. All of our local businesses for many, many miles around, looked exactly as I described.

What do you do? Will you be out of business? Unfortunately for many, the answer is yes.

The lack of planning will be more devastating than the storm. Inadequate insurance coverage is the most obvious. Questions will arise that you didn't bother with before. If you lease your space, you rely on the landlord to rebuild the physical structure, but when? After years of litigation?

It doesn't happen here? Our son-in-law's parents, who also had their home destroyed by Andrew, moved to Kissimmee to escape the coastal threats of hurricanes. The deadliest tornadoes in Florida history ripped through their new neighborhood several years later, reminding everyone that it can happen anywhere, at any time.

Talk to your insurance agent about business continuity insurance. Attend the hurricane preparedness seminars and lectures. Preparedness is the first step. The Charlotte County Chamber of Commerce developed a Workbook titled "Developing a Disaster Plan for Business Survival" It is a great first step for those small business owners that have no idea what to do.

Some consider disaster planning a waste of time. Some even consider it morbid. The truth is Disaster Planning and Business Recovery planning are absolutely essential!

George Mindling © 1999