SMALL BUSINESS GROWTH

5 files to print and save | Small business continuity planning

By Certified Crisis Response Professional (CCRP), Certified Protection Professional (CPP) (ASIS International)

Keep your business up and running during unplanned interruptions.

Most small business owners do not have a business continuity plan in place and are often left scrambling when a crisis arises. Every business should have a set of emergency procedures in place so your business can run on limited resources and minimize losses during downtime. Sound familiar? Then now’s the time to find the best document management solution for your small business.

Information access is crucial during a business disruption.

Think about how you would retrieve vital files and forms during a major business disruption. Make sure your critical data is protected and accessible on paper and in the cloud with a well-prepared business continuity plan.

Lexmark reached out to Certified Business Continuity Professional (CBCP), Todd S. Bardin, for his list of base essentials for business continuity planning for small businesses..

A good recovery plan should include the following documents:

1

Employee emergency information contact list

Contact information for employee’s family or partner in case of an emergency

2

Important vendors and suppliers – listed in order of importance for recovery

Protect your supply chain with a list of alternate suppliers including contact information

3

Emergency Action Plan

Evacuation, shelter-in-place, fire, medical and other urgent response plans

4

Vital records

• Important forms
• HR data (current job descriptions and procedures)
• Past invoices

• Customer data
• Bank statements
• Receipts
• Business License

5

Contractual commitments

Fulfill the terms of any legally binding agreement with a system to notify customers and vendors when your business is offline

To get started with the business continuity planning process, begin with a business impact analysis (BIA). The BIA tool will help you identify what to recover first and refine your business continuity planning requirements. You should also check out Ready.gov—an official website of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for a free Business Continuity Planning Suite.

Download and complete the suite and business impact analysis worksheet. If you have questions about the process, watch the step-by-step training videos. Lastly, keep in mind that while business interruption insurance is an excellent investment, it does not cover damage to physical documents and data.

Download business impact analysis worksheet

As PC Magazine said about Lexmark Color All-in-One – (MC3426ADW) GO line device:,
"...supports not only convenient interaction with essential functions and tasks, but also includes integrated cloud connectors that help you save scans to and retrieve files from your favorite cloud services. (The supported services include Box, Dropbox, Google Drive, and Microsoft OneDrive.)"
Making an all-in-one Lexmark GO Line printer the ideal hardware for executing on printing AND saving your small business (SMB) business continuity plan.

Learn more about how Lexmark GO Line devices can help your business stay connected with Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive and more. Compare printers for your small business.

Frequently asked questions

What is small business continuity planning?

Small business continuity planning is a set of recovery procedures in place to help a business continue operations during unplanned interruptions or disasters.

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What is the purpose of a business continuity plan (BCP)?

The purpose of a business continuity plan is to ensure that a business can continue to operate during and after a disaster or other interruption, with minimal impact on operations and minimal loss of data or revenue.

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What is the relationship between BCP and disaster recovery?

Disaster recovery is a component of business continuity planning that focuses specifically on the technical systems and data that a business needs to recover in the event of a disaster. A BCP often includes a disaster recovery plan as a component of the overall plan.

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What documents should be included in a good recovery plan for small businesses?

A good recovery plan should include documents such as an employee emergency contact list, a list of important vendors and suppliers, an emergency action plan, vital records, and contractual commitments.

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What is the first step in the business continuity planning process?

The first step in the business continuity planning process is typically to conduct a business impact analysis (BIA) to identify critical functions and prioritize recovery efforts.

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How can an all-in-one printer, such as the Lexmark GO Line ™ printer, be helpful in business continuity planning?

An all-in-one printer can be helpful in printing and saving the business continuity plan in the cloud, ensuring that critical documents are easily accessible in the event of a disaster or other interruption.

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If you are looking for new ways to lock down print security, it's time for a Lexmark GO Line device built with Secure by Design features that protect your data every step of the way.

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