2006 Virginia Association of Defense Attorney's Conference Presentation
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The document presents a disaster preparedness plan for Virginia law firms, highlighting the importance of business continuity in the face of natural disasters and emergencies. Key considerations include employee communication, data backup strategies, and establishing alternative operational methods. It emphasizes the need for comprehensive planning and testing, involving staff, clients, and vendors to ensure effective recovery from potential disruptions.
2006 Virginia Association of Defense Attorney's Conference Presentation
- 1. © 2006 VSSCyberOffice.com! . All rights reserved. Presentation for: 2006 VADA Annual Meeting “Disaster Preparedness for the Virginia Law Firm” “Planning for Everyday Natural Disasters” Presenter: Victoria M. Parham, President, Virtual Support Services, LLC.
- 2. Threats in Virginia! • Hurricanes (Floyd-1999, Isabel-2003) • Tornados • Severe Storms • Flooding • Electrical Outages • Terrorist Biological Threats • Pandemic Influenza (Outbreak) • Avian Influenza (Bird Flu) © 2006 VSSCyberOffice.com! . All rights reserved. At a moments notice, you could be forced to evacuate the State of VA
- 3. Business Disaster and Contingency Planning (Questions to consider) • Anticipate risks to practice • How long can your practice afford to go without operating? • How would you continue operating? • Your practice is a business function, not just information technology (IT) • Plan – test - tweak • Include business partners • Include clients © 2006 VSSCyberOffice.com! . All rights reserved.
- 4. © 2006 VSSCyberOffice.com! . All rights reserved. Cost Effective Disaster Planning Strategies for the Solo Practice and Small Law Firms “Disaster Preparedness for the Virginia Law Firm” “Planning for Everyday Natural Disasters”
- 5. Key Areas of Concern • People • Communication • Mission Essential Data • Technology • Client Data • Workspaces © 2006 VSSCyberOffice.com! . All rights reserved.
- 6. People – Employees First Priority! • Brief employees on disaster plan process • Provide key personnel with a hardcopy (maintain an electronic copy also) • Develop and distribute full contact roster for all employees (maintain an electronic copy also) • Establish guidelines for where employees will work (from home, satellite office, telework center, local Starbucks?) • How will employees work? (using laptops and cell phones?) © 2006 VSSCyberOffice.com! . All rights reserved.
- 7. People – Customers Second Priority! • Educate customers about your disaster plan policy and disaster recovery plan • Mail out brochures / information packets • Establish a disaster recovery section on the customer support section of your firm’s website • Post pertinent recovery information on website • Create an education video and downloadable materials to your website • Small Firms - assign a single contact person for each client account • Solo Practice – assign a single toll free line for customers to call (consider partnering with a Virtual Assistant or call center who can manage client inquiries during an emergency) © 2006 VSSCyberOffice.com! . All rights reserved.
- 8. People – Vendors and Suppliers - Third Priority! • Communicate with vendors and suppliers a support plan / process during times of emergencies • Establish alternate shipping and receiving ports. • Bottom-line - Can they continue to support you and your clients during a national emergency? • Establish a backup list of vendors / suppliers, distribute to all essential personnel (maintain an electronic copy) © 2006 VSSCyberOffice.com! . All rights reserved.
- 9. Communication – is Critical! • Invest in a Virtual PBX telecommunications system with voice- mail, extensions, and fax capability (http://www.onebox.com, http://www.gotvmail.com/, http://www.ureach.com) • Invest in a Website Domain Name for your firm (www.yourfirm.com) and establish company email accounts for all employees (www.godaddy.com, www.register.com). © 2006 VSSCyberOffice.com! . All rights reserved.
- 10. Mission Essential Data! – The Heart of your Business – Back it Up! • Electronic data - schedule regular electronic data backups (Recommend: everyday) • External Hard Drives – Highly Recommended (ranges in storage size from about 80GB to 300GB ) • CDs – (Recommended for Small Backups) • DVDs – (Recommended for Large Data Files) • Zip Disks (very limited on space) • Online Backup Centers • Tape Backup • Hardcopy Files - go paperless, convert all paper documents into electronic format (http://www.ikon.com/services/lds/conversion_se rvices.asp, http://www.digitaldocumentsllc.com/) © 2006 VSSCyberOffice.com! . All rights reserved.
- 11. Mission Essential Data! – The Heart of your Business – Back it Up! • Electronic data - schedule regular electronic data backups (Recommend: everyday) • External Hard Drives – Highly Recommended (ranges in storage size from about 80GB to 300GB ) • CDs – (Recommended for Small Backups) • DVDs – (Recommended for Large Data Files) • Zip Disks (very limited on space) • Online Backup Centers • Tape Backup • Hardcopy Files - go paperless, convert all paper documents into electronic format (http://www.ikon.com/services/lds/conversion_se rvices.asp, http://www.digitaldocumentsllc.com/) © 2006 VSSCyberOffice.com! . All rights reserved.
- 12. Mission Essential Data! – The Heart of your Business – Back it Up! • Backup all usernames and passwords • Software installation key numbers • Key codes • Create a set of computer recovery disks • If applicable, create a back up of all software programs © 2006 VSSCyberOffice.com! . All rights reserved.
- 13. Mission Essential Data! – The Heart of your Business • Manual Accounting - Consider establishing an online accounting system • Manual Billing – Consider establishing a secured online automated billing, invoicing, and payment system • Traditional Banking – Consider online banking, bill pay services • Payroll – Consider establishing an online payroll system, consider direct deposit for all employees • Elect to receive monthly invoices, bills, and statements electronically © 2006 VSSCyberOffice.com! . All rights reserved.
- 14. Technology – Prepare to Work Virtually • Invest in laptops, cell phones, and backup dial-up Internet service providers (www.aol.com, www.peoplepc.com, www.netzero.com) • Invest in mobile portable printers or partner with an online printing service: (www.Kinkos.com) © 2006 VSSCyberOffice.com! . All rights reserved.
- 15. Client Data – Keep you in Business – Back it Up! • Should be stored separately from your company data • Create a client contact roster (maintain hardcopy and digital format) • Backup and encrypt client credit card and banking payment information © 2006 VSSCyberOffice.com! . All rights reserved.
- 16. Workspaces • Establish an online meeting space (www.webex.com) and/or teleconference bridge (http://www.freeconference.com/) to meet (live) with employees or clients • Consider establishing an online company intranet for (internal use) employees to work, communicate, exchange documents, internal email and share calendars – (www.hyperoffice.com, www.weboffice.com, www.hotoffice.com) © 2006 VSSCyberOffice.com! . All rights reserved.
- 17. Conclusion Contact Info: Victoria M. Parham, President / CTO Virtual Support Services, LLC Tel/Fax: 1 (888) 580-8167 (w) www.vsscyberoffice.com (e) vparham@vsscyberoffice.com AOL Instant Messenger: vsscyberoffice02 © 2006 VSSCyberOffice.com! . All rights reserved.