Microsoft Whitepaper: Disaster Preparedness Guide

Guidance for preparing your business to
withstand the unexpected

Table of Contents
Executive Summary..................................3
What You Will Learn..................................5
Your Virtual and
Physical “GO Bag”....................................6
Disaster Preparedness
Technology Strategy..................................7
Disaster Preparedness
Business Strategy.....................................9
Disaster Readiness Quiz.........................10
Solutions.................................................12
Disaster Plan Worksheet.........................20
2

We’ve all heard the saying “an ounce of prevention
is worth a pound of cure,” but how many of us have
really taken this adage to heart when it comes to
preparing our businesses for possible disasters?
It’s easy to brush this task aside when more pressing, immediate business
demands clamor for our attention, but the fact is that disasters do happen and
when they occur, businesses suffer.
The U.S. Department of Labor estimates more than 40 percent of businesses never
reopen following a disaster and, of the remaining companies, at least 25 percent
will close in two years. What’s more, with fewer resources than larger corporations,
small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) have a harder time recovering from
virtual and physical disasters than their larger counterparts and are at a greater
risk for not rebounding after catastrophe strikes.
The U.S. Department of Labor
estimates more than 40 percent of
businesses never reopen following
a disaster. Of the remaining
companies, at least 25 percent
will close within two years.
executive summary
believe IT downtime can
damage staff morale,
and 35% report it can
harm customer loyalty
44%
3

Dramatic occurrences like hurricanes and tornados might come to mind when
you ponder disaster preparedness. If your business isn’t in a hot spot for either of
these weather events, you might consider yourself safe from most disasters. Yet,
it is still prudent to prepare for disaster, because other occurrences such as fires
and floods, as well as virtual crises brought on by cybercrime or network failures,
are liable to take place anywhere businesses exist.
By developing a disaster preparedness
plan and implementing technologies
that support business continuity, SMBs
can give themselves solid footing
and a strong defense in the wake of
disaster. Yes, doing so requires effort
and investment, but when faced with
the reality that your business might not
make it through a disaster, is it really
something you can afford to delay or
neglect altogether.
executive summary
4

What will you learn
This guide will help you prepare
your business to withstand the
impacts of disaster and will also
help you understand:
• Why there are different precautions to take
for physical and virtual disasters
• How to properly protect your business and
alleviate the consequences of disasters
• How to differentiate between disaster
recovery and disaster preparedness
• How to begin your own disaster
preparedness plan
Establishing your preparation plan:
Your virtual and physical “GO Bag”
Every business suffers an average
of 10 hours of downtime per year,
during which time employees are
only able to work at 63 percent
of their usual productivity.
of companies do not
have a disaster recovery
strategy in place
66%
5

You probably didn’t hesitate to develop a business
plan when starting your company to ensure for the
growth of your business. Similarly, preparing your
business for possible disaster demands not just an
awareness of the potential threats and measures for
protection, but an actual plan that dictates how your
business will respond to disaster.
When developing a preparation plan, first determine the potential disasters
that could affect your business, keeping in mind that, while some disasters are
physical (i.e. floods, tornados, etc.), others can be virtual (i.e. network shutdowns,
cybercrime, etc.). Referring to the quiz later in this guide might help bring to mind
terms and concepts integral to your plan.of organizations
revealed that IT
outages can damage
a company’s
reputation
50%
6

You also might want to think through how a physical disaster could impact your
market. Some SMBs may find that they need greater agility in terms of products
and services provided. For instance, if your business provides lawn service but
doesn’t assist in tree removal, perhaps it’s wise to consider expanding your
offerings to meet market demands for storm recovery. Consider if you run a small
hardware store but don’t sell generators, you might be missing out on a major
business opportunity should widespread power outages occur in your region.
Or if you have employees who would be unable to reach the office if a natural
disaster strikes, consider how productivity would continue if they are outfitted with
telework capabilities. Additionally, you should ask yourself if your business’ current
technology infrastructure can handle potential market fluctuations.
technology strategy
To assist you in the development of your plan,
following are some tips and guidance pertaining
to two different, but equally important, areas of
consideration related to disaster preparedness
and disaster recovery – your technology and your
business itself. It’s important to realize that in many
cases, having the right measures in place can
help your business avoid disaster in the first place,
while other tactics will aid you in getting your
business up and running again if disaster strikes.
7

Cloud-based software for storage and
more – Explore cloud-based software solutions
designed for SMBs. Cloud-based software
enables you to store information in a secure,
offsite location and access it anywhere you
have an Internet connection. Cost-effective for
SMBs, cloud-based software often comes with
enterprise-class capabilities, making it a wise
investment regardless of whether or not your
business encounters disaster.
Keep your technology updated –
Maintaining updated technology might prevent
a virtual disaster from ever happening in the first
place, since updates usually provide security
patches and new protective features. Install
updates whenever prompted to do so; or, adjust
your PC’s setting to install updates automatically.
Online backup options – If you don’t store all
of your data in the cloud, consider investing in an
online backup solution that will safeguard all
important data stored on your hard drive and
make it easily accessible in the event of disaster.
Also, if you and your workers store critical data
on mobile devices, make sure that data also is
protected by your online backup solution.
Hard drive replications – If you can’t or don’t
wish to invest in an online backup solution,
regularly replicate your hard drive (ideally on
a weekly basis), using a detached disk drive.
However, keep in mind that in order to make
this method fail proof, you’ll need to remove the
disk drive from the premises each night, in the
event that a physical disaster occurs and you
aren’t able to retrieve it in time.
Map your environment – Be sure you or some-
one within your company has an understanding
of all the important systems in your network
environment. If you don’t have a network, still
take the time to identify all of your critical systems.
Determine how long, if at all, those systems can
be down during a rebuild in order to ensure you
can still operate and maintain customers.
technology strategy
Encryption matters – If your operating system
enables you to encrypt files and folders, by all
means take advantage of this feature. Encryp-
tion makes data indecipherable to unauthorized
users and can help prevent virtual disasters
should corporate laptops or other computing
devices get lost or stolen.
8

business strategy
Pull out your policies – Though reading
through all the fine print can be overwhelming,
it’s important that you thoroughly understand
your insurance plans and policies. What physical
disasters are covered? What forms or filings
need to be complete after a disaster strikes?
Communicating with employees – If you’re a
small business with a few dedicated employees,
they will be looking to you for direct guidance
and encouragement during disaster. They also
need to know ahead of time what to do in the
event of emergency. For SMBs that don’t have
HR resources, internal communications around
the disaster should come from the business
owners, as well as any guidance you wish to
communicate in advance of any potential
disasters.
Communicating with external audiences –
In addition to providing employees with
guidance, you’ll also need to communicate
with your external audiences, who likely will
be expecting to hear from you. Make a list of all
potential audiences that could be impacted by a
disaster to have on-hand if and when the time
comes to communicate. For instance, do you
have suppliers or vendors who may be planning
deliveries? What about people expecting pay-
ments or deliveries/services from your business?
What do customers and clients need to know
about how the disaster impacted your business?
If a data breach of sensitive customer information
occurred, planning an alert ahead of time can
prevent customers from hearing about it
through third parties and not directly from you.
Communication methods – Determine the
method of internal and external communications.
Will you individually notify people via email, phone
or the mail? Or will you post information on your
website, social network sites or corporate blog?
Money management – Even during a disaster,
businesses need to pay their bills, make payroll
and pay suppliers. Be sure you know what all
of these accounts are and have contact info for
all of these parties, in addition to ensuring your
financial management system is backed up
properly.
9

To find out just how prepared you already are,
or aren’t, for a possible disaster, here’s a brief quiz
that will help you assess your readiness.
My office has an emergency contingency plan in place for physical disasters.
IT is the only department responsible for disaster preparedness within my organization.
I keep my employees updated on the most current security threats and provide guidance on
what to look for.
My business operations require a 24/7/365 model that involves constant uptime.
My organization houses onsite data that is critical to business operations.
My organization and its departments are tightly organized and can coordinate effectively in the
event of a catastrophic system failure or disaster.
If my business location were struck by a disaster, it could re-establish operations seamlessly or
at a minimum within hours or days.
IT systems such as email, document storage, telephone PBX, etc. are essential components of
doing business.
My datacenter can guarantee a 99.95% uptime.
My datacenter has an offsite disaster recovery location established and configured.
My organization needs a partner that can integrate my systems to mitigate disaster risk and
ensure availability of systems and resources.
Critical IT systems and data are backed on an hourly and/or daily basis.
In the event of system/server failure or disaster, data can be restored quickly
and effectively.
disaster readiness quiz
True False Don’t
know
10

If you responded “yes” to nine or more questions,
you are on the right track to prepare your business
in the event of a disaster. New developments in
technology described in this eGuide offer you
additional tactics to consider.
If you had more familiarity with the first half of the questions, you may have a solid
business continuity plan in place, but should investigate the types of technology
implementation that can make those current plans more effective and efficient.
Conversely, if the second half of the questions were easier to answer, you’ve set
in place technology preparations to mitigate disaster consequences, but may also
want to consider some business initiatives to explore.
If a majority of your answers were “I don’t know,” do not panic. This eGuide will
provide advice and steps to arm your business in the face of disasters.
answers
11

solutions
Technology tools useful for disaster preparedness and recovery
As mentioned earlier, having the right technology in place can help prepare your business to
avoid disaster and/or recover more swiftly from any catastrophes that might occur. The following
is a list of technology tools to consider implementing, keeping in mind that many of these
tools have significant business benefits that extend even beyond the area of disaster
preparedness and recovery:
Free PC Scan from Microsoft
The Microsoft Safety Scanner is a free, downloadable
security tool that provides on-demand scanning and
helps remove viruses, spyware, and other malicious
software from your PCs. It works with your existing
antivirus software.
Why is this important?
Your computers could be at risk
and you may not even realize it.
Many computer users unwittingly
download or open files or emails
that contain harmful viruses or
spyware.
12

solutions
Office 365
Microsoft Office 365 for professionals and small businesses is a cloud-based subscription
service that lets users access email, important documents, contacts and calendars from
virtually anywhere on almost any device.
Priced affordably for SMBs, Microsoft Office 365 provides
business benefits beyond preparing your business for a
disaster. With Office 365, your email, documents, contacts
and more are accessible virtually anytime, anywhere from
any device. If a natural disaster impacts your physical office
location, you will be able to continue conducting many
aspects of your business operations from any location,
since Office 365 enables employees to be productive
and collaborate with the most consistent and secure
anywhere access experience.
In fact, Office 365 makes remote working at any time easy and efficient. With Office 365,
remote employees can collaborate and edit documents from different locations, in real time,
with insight into exactly who is editing and viewing your documents. Workers also can
conduct audio and videoconferences with the click of a button, can share their calendars
with team members to make scheduling easy, and can
know whether colleagues are busy, away or available to
chat simply by viewing an indicator next to their names.
13

solutions
Windows Server 2012
Having a virtual machine or virtualizing your computer is a key component to disaster
preparedness, as it helps businesses recover when on-premise servers are struck by a
physical disaster. Windows Server 2012 makes desktop virtualization more accessible and
affordable for small businesses. Traditionally, only large companies could afford a virtualization
solution, but now small businesses have access to the same disaster preparedness
capabilities through Windows Server 2012.
The threat of losing important business data can be daunting and knowing
how to protect that data may be unclear. Imagine a worst-case scenario, which
could be anything ranging from a fire to a flood, and your business could lose
critical data. With virtualization, SMB customers are able to replace traditional
workstations with low-cost virtual desktops, personalized PC profiles and ap-
plications that employees can access over a local area network or the Internet
from a variety of devices. Windows Server 2012 offers customers of all sizes,
enterprise-level capabilities to keep their businesses running, help them make
the most of their IT budgets, and identify ways to scale their technology to meet
fluctuating needs at an affordable price. With Windows Server 2012, small busi-
nesses can continue work uninterrupted even during a disaster, giving you the
comfort of knowing that your data is safe and will not be compromised.
By consolidating physical servers onto virtual
machines, you can be up and running even within
moments of a disaster occurring. With Windows
Server 2012 and they can get Remote Web Access which provides a streamlined, touch-
friendly browser experience to access applications and data from virtually anywhere.
Additionally, now a small business can connect to, search across, and access files and
folders on their server through a Windows Phone app. The Windows Server 2012 edition
also contains Hyper-V Replica, which provides a complete copy of your data between your
on-premise and off-premise server, using a standard broadband data line. Hyper-V Replica
continually makes copies of changes to your data every five minutes, so if a failure disables
the primary server onsite, the organization never loses more than five minutes of data which
promotes business continuity should a disaster strike.
Windows Server 2012 Essentials is another of Microsoft’s server offerings, also made
specifically with small businesses in mind. Storms and fires aren’t the only disasters to
prepare for and with this version, if an employee of a small business happens to misplace
their laptop, the business has a line of defense to protect business information on the
machine. A small business with 25 employees or less can back up all of their computers
and servers in the office and in the cloud with Windows Server 2012 Essentials. Additionally,
Storage Spaces are also available on this version to enhance the process of increasing
data backup capabilities to be more affordable, easier and quicker.
14

Microsoft Security Essentials
Microsoft Security Essentials provides real-time protection for your home or small-business PC
that guards against viruses, spyware, and other malicious software. Microsoft Security Essentials
is a free download from Microsoft that is simple to install and easy to use and that is automatically
updated to protect your PC with the latest technology. Microsoft Security
Essentials runs quietly and efficiently in the background, so you are free to
use your Windows-based PC the way you want—without interruptions or
long computer wait times.
The greater the security of your PCs, the
less the chance that a virtual disaster like
cybercrime could impact your business.
solutions
15

Windows 8
Microsoft’s newest operating system, Windows 8
Professional was designed with SMBs in mind to
deliver an experience with new levels of mobility,
productivity and security, without sacrificing per-
formance or choice. The features that promote greater productivity, mobility and security in
Windows 8 will help to defend your business against potential virtual or physical disasters.
An operating system that supports remote working productivity and security becomes
immensely valuable in times of disaster. Productivity is a major factor in keeping businesses
running after a disaster affects your business. The Remote Desktop feature allows users
to connect to their desktop back at work and have full access to their files, so it’s as if
they are sitting at work in front of their computer.
solutions
Windows 8 Professional includes built-in mobile broadband support for 3G and 4G
telecommunication, enabling businesses on-the-go to connect to the Internet immediately and
also identify Wi-Fi hotspots when available. With increased mobility, comes additional security
considerations and BitLocker, a feature in Windows 8, can help protect your business from
security disasters. BitLocker helps protect business data on PCs with faster hard drive
encryption, helping to keep data safe without interrupting worker productivity. In addition to
BitLocker, Windows 8 Pro also has BitLocker To Go, which takes the same technology and
applies it to USB sticks and external drives so that file information there can be completely
locked down and become virtually impossible for hackers to compromise. This is important for
any of your remote employees who may be conducting business on the road, at a local coffee
shop or on a plane who could be at risk for data theft.
One of the biggest virtual disaster threats doesn’t have to do with hackers or thefts, but with
phishing attacks, where people are tricked into disclosing their passwords. With Windows
8 Pro, SMBs can now browse more confidently with features like Windows Defender and
Windows SmartScreen, along with more security built into Internet Explorer 10, which helps
identify and warn against phishing attacks.
While most SMBs will opt for the Windows 8 Professional version, the technology in Windows 8
adapts to meet the needs of a growing business. In the Windows 8 Enterprise edition, available to
volume licensing customers, the Windows To Go feature can give you a complete installation
of your Windows 8 corporate desktop on a high performance USB flash drive. It has to be
provisioned by an IT professional within the enterprise organization, and will turn any computer
into your business computer after the proper installation done by an IT professional.
16

Windows Phone
With software and services uniquely designed for SMBs users,
Windows Phone makes it easier than ever before to remain productive,
keep in touch and protect your information while on the go. If a disaster
prevents you or your employees from returning to a physical office
location, having a Windows Phone allows you to work no matter
where you are.
Windows Phone can help keep your employees productive, even if your office is inaccessible, and
can safeguard your business information. Windows Phone offers familiar Office Mobile apps like
Outlook and Lync that are already built-in. It also runs Microsoft Office Hub, which provides access
to Office applications like Word and syncs documents, files, videos and photos to SkyDrive for
secure backup. Furthermore, SharePoint, Office 365, Exchange and other favorites are accessible,
giving you and your employees the tools needed to accomplish everyday tasks from any location.
Additionally, Windows Phone offers robust security features to protect your business information,
guard against malware and even lock, wipe or locate your phone if it’s lost or stolen from a
remote location.
solutions
17

Windows Intune offers small businesses a comprehensive package of PC security and
management solutions and Windows upgrade licensing in a single subscription. You can
remotely perform a number of security and management tasks to protect your business data
and technology, including management of updates, remote assistance to offsite users, PC
monitoring, endpoint protection to help safeguard PCs from malware threats, and inventory
management so IT and end-users can remain productive from virtually anywhere. With
Exchange ActiveSync (EAS) capabilities you can manage the software and hardware used
by mobile phones connected to your network, while also enforcing encryption and password
requirements that you determine. Windows Intune makes it simple to manage updates and
enforce device access policies – the only thing you need is an internet connection.
Windows Intune
Windows Intune is a cloud-based
device management system that helps
small businesses avoid upfront maintenance costs while being able to check for updates
and install software as needed across Windows and non-Windows machines and devices.
Small businesses can use it to make sure computers and mobile devices are up to date and
delivering top performance to remote workers, while protecting business data from virtual
disasters such as breaches and corruption.
solutions
18

Want to learn more?
A little research and some expert guidance can help ensure your
business is protected from potential disasters. For more information, visit
www.microsoftbusinesshub.com, where you’ll find technology best practices
and business advice for small businesses, learn more about Microsoft products
for SMBs, find technology support resources, and find a Microsoft Partner with
small business technology expertise to assist you.
where to turn
19

worksheet
Now that you’ve got a background in preparing your
business for potential disasters, it’s time to put your
plan in action. Consider the following worksheet as
the framework for your business’ GO bag. Much like
you started your venture with a business plan, develop
your disaster preparedness plan from the ground up.
Business Continuity Basics:
1. Who? Determine who needs to be alerted to a disaster, whether virtual or physical. Focus first
on internal communications. For physical disasters, think of employees that may be traveling to the
office. With a virtual disaster, don’t forget those employees who work remotely and are accessing
your network.
How will you communicate? Do you have an internal message board online?
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
2. What Happens Next? Your vendors and clients, who are not affected by the disaster, will
expect business to continue as usual.
Will you have access to your business data? Does your team know how to access backed
up data? Do you have automatic payments in place? If it’s a physical disaster that’s causing
service issues, can you work remotely to continue delivering your product? Do you know what
your insurance will really cover in the event of a disaster? Stay current on your insurance policy
and new options to protect your business and team.
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
20

worksheet
3. Educate Employees. How often do you alert your employees to potential online threats and
how to avoid potential issues? Have you reviewed disaster preparedness plans with your team?
Establish a rhythm of information about your preparedness plans and everyone’s role. Discuss
new threats, including social phishing scams or malware/scareware attempts, and provide
insight on how to avoid being a target.
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
Technology Protection
1. Where is your Intellectual Property? Your business plans, customer notes and contact
information, fee structure or secret recipes are unique to your business. If you store this informa-
tion on an external hard drive or USB, you could face a catastrophic disaster if those were stolen,
damaged or lost.
Do you have an online storage drive or online back up to save your data in the event of a theft
or if there is a physical disaster? Who on your team knows how to access the back up?
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
2. What’s your security system? Hackers, now more than ever, are targeting SMBs because of
the low-risk of infiltrating their systems. A very simple and free way to increase your protection is to
keep your technology updated. Updates are developed to address the latest security threats.
How many machines need updating? Have you set updates to be installed automatically?
Don’t forget mobile phones used for accessing business information.
____________________________________________________________________________
21

worksheet
____________________________________________________________________________
3. Is travel prevented by a disaster? If a physical disaster is preventing employees from
going in to the office or visiting clients, business can still be conducted from remote locations.
Have you transitioned to a cloud service? If employees can access work documents
they need from their home machines, you may be able to prevent disruption to
your daily deliverables.
____________________________________________________________________________
4. Understand what you own. If you store business information or access it via the cloud,
your data is being housed in a data center by your provider.
Review your service level agreement (SLA), which will identify their promised uptime.
This will indicate how quickly you can expect outages to be addressed. (Industry standard
is around 99%)
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
Use the space below to list other areas that you might need to address in the event
of a disaster.
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
22

Microsoft Whitepaper: Disaster Preparedness Guide

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Microsoft Whitepaper: Disaster Preparedness Guide