Disaster planning  and business continuity is not on the priority list for most small and medium businesses, shows a recent survey conducted by Agilily Recovery Solutions and Hughes Marketing Group.

The study, conducted throughout North America discovered that 90% of smaller companies (<100 employees) surveyed spend less than one day per month preparing and maintaining their continuity plans, while 22% spend no time maintaining their plans.

The findings also indicate that small and mid-sized businesses are misled by existing data backup plans.
"A data backup plan is not the same as a disaster recovery plan," says Bob Boyd, chief executive of Agility Recovery. "The best data in the world is useless if you can’t make use of it. Businesses must take measures to ensure employees can return to work immediately after a disaster. Without alternate plans, you’re business will pay the ultimate price."

While most businesses think about disaster hypothetically, the risk is real: in the past two years, 52% of businesses experienced an unforeseen interruption, and the vast majority (81%) of these interruptions caused the business to be closed for one or more days.

Do you have a disaster recovery plan in place? How would you manage business interruptions?