When Disaster Strikes: Is Your Business Ready to Keep Running?

Most business owners think they’re safe just because they have backups. But when a real emergency hits—a power outage, a cyberattack, or even a natural disaster—backups alone won’t keep your business going. Just because you can restore your files doesn’t mean your business can keep running smoothly.

That’s where business continuity comes in. It’s a plan that helps your team keep moving, no matter what happens.

Backups vs. Business Continuity: What’s the Difference?

Yes, backing up your files is important. However, it’s just one part of a much bigger strategy.

• Backups store your data so you can recover it later.
• Business continuity helps your entire business keep operating—even during a crisis.

Imagine this: your office floods overnight. Your files are backed up, but your computers are destroyed and no one can get into the building. What do you do? Without a plan for remote work or recovery, your team might be stuck waiting—while your clients move on.

What a Real Continuity Plan Looks Like

A strong continuity plan does more than save your data. It helps you answer questions like:

• How fast can we be back online?
• What are the most important systems we need running?
• Can our team work from home?
• Who leads the recovery if there’s an emergency?

The best plans include:

• Secure backups stored off-site and protected from tampering
• Clear timelines for restoring your systems
• Tools that allow your staff to keep working even if they’re not in the office
• Backup systems in case something fails
• Regular practice drills to test your response

If your IT provider can’t walk you through each of these items, you may be unprepared. Discover How To Find The Right Cybersecurity MSP

Real Disasters. Real Consequences.

Still not convinced? Here are just a few examples of how small businesses have been hit:

• In Florida, hurricanes knocked out power for weeks. Companies without cloud access were stuck.
• In North Carolina, flooding wiped out physical servers—and all the data on them.
• In California, wildfires destroyed offices and left businesses with nothing to recover.
• Across the U.S., ransomware attacks have locked up critical files. Many businesses thought their backups would save them—only to find those backups were incomplete or corrupted.

These events didn’t just affect big corporations. They impacted small and mid-sized businesses just like yours.

Questions You Should Be Asking Right Now

If a disaster happened tomorrow, would your business survive it?

Ask your IT team or provider these five questions:

1. If we were hit by ransomware, how long would it take to recover?
2. Are our backups tested regularly—and do they cover all our systems?
3. What’s the plan if we can’t get into our office?
4. Does our recovery plan follow the rules for our industry (like HIPAA or PCI)?
5. Can our team serve clients if we have to work remotely?

If you’re unsure about any of these, you’re taking a risk. 

Final Thoughts: Downtime Is Optional

You can’t control the weather or stop every cybercriminal. But you can decide how prepared your business will be.

A good IT provider will help you bounce back from disaster. A great one will make sure you never have to stop in the first place. Contact us to learn more.