SmallBusinessNewz

I don't want to run the whole disaster planning thing into the ground, but as storms tear through the country and with recent news of fires at Universal Studios and server/hosting provider The Planet, the subject really can't be stressed enough.

Besides, there are results published from a new study from AT&T on the matter.

First off, one in five businesses do not have a plan according to this study. That number could be worse I suppose, but it's not as good as one in five.

Do you realize there were classic master recordings destroyed in the Universal fire? Gone forever. At least they have digital backups. For that one business out of five, that could've been crucial documentation to the survival of its business that wasn't backed up.

Nobody ever expects a fire to occur. They just happen without warning. So do plenty of other emergencies. And if you think you're safe, you're just being naive.

  "Businesses of all sizes need to be vigilant about business continuity planning, especially in light of the fact that day-to-day demands of running a business are mounting," said Bill Archer, CMO-AT&T Business. "However, a business continuity plan is not enough and in fact, not all companies have one in place. Organizations must regularly test and update their plans to reflect changes in their business so that, in the event of disaster or major security breach, they can be best-prepared to restore and maintain key processes and operations."

I'm not going to get into all of the statistics of the AT&T study. You can find that information here. I'm just going play the part of the broken record and tell you to organize a disaster recovery plan. If your business means a lot to you, as I assume it probably does, what are you waiting for?

To help get you pointed in the right direction, here are some resources:

- Disaster Recovery, Planning, and Management for Small Business

- Recovering from a Disaster: Five Tips

- SBA Disaster Assistance

- Disaster recovery for small business file servers

I could probably keep listing more all day, but I'm sure you're capable of using a search engine. The information is out there. Use it. If you've already got a recovery plan in place than good for you!