Whilst the provision of direct user support and training (coupled with system maintenance) should greatly reduce reliance on emergency support, this need will never be eliminated entirely. A great many problems cannot be anticipated even with the best management and planning in the world; and sad to say, sometimes computer hardware just goes wrong.

Organisations need support structures, so that when an emergency problem is identified, an engineer can be called out within a specific time-frame to solve it.

There is one other type of support service companies should consider: what happens in the event of a true disaster? A fire or flood in the building which destroys the entire IT infrastructure? It is not unheard of for thieves to successfully ‘gut’ the entire building of anything electrical. In most cases hardware will be covered by insurance policies, and can be replaced. But this takes time, and the business has to carry on functioning whilst replacement solutions are put in place.

The most immediate problem for most organisations is that of data security. Reliable backups need to be performed regularly, to ensure that when things are up and running again, no data has been lost. This can either be by nightly backup to magnetic tape which is then stored offsite, or it can involve an internet based ‘online backup’ to a specialist hosting company.

In a world of time-critical business processes, it may be that certain core staff members will need immediate access to office facilities, such as telephones, email, computers and the like. Arrangements can be put in place to lease these facilities in the event of a disaster, and pay a fee to have them available against the fateful day they are required.

It is important to note that the business continuity solution is different for absolutely every company. We can help you to identify key areas of vulnerability, and recommend and implement policies and contracts to ensure that your organisation is secure in the event of major disaster or upheaval.