Canada is known as a developed nation that’s peaceful and stable. But this doesn’t mean that our prosperous country doesn’t face its own catastrophes. We’ve experienced ice storms, forest fires, blizzards, and floods. And the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has and continues to affect Canada in ways that can’t even be measured yet. For most of us, the pandemic has forced us to think differently about what constitutes a “disaster.” And that may be a good thing.
What are the common natural disasters in the Great White North?
Canada’s cold climate makes it prone to icy natural disasters, such as hail storms, ice rain and blizzards. Melting ice or severe storms can cause destructive floods; and freezing temperatures can cause water pipes to burst. While we are fortunate to avoid the worst that mother nature can throw at us, it’s not unheard of that regions in Canada can be affected by hurricanes and tornadoes - even right here in the GTA.
Did you know?
After the US, Canada has the second highest incidence rate of tornadoes!
There are other types of disasters that are just as or even more disruptive to businesses
When one hears the word “disaster,” one usually thinks of cataclysmic events that occur in nature, but when it comes to Canada’s businesses, it’s the smaller occurrences that affect them more. Think about it:
- Fires so intense they close down surrounding businesses
- Widespread power outages leaving Canadian businesses in the dark for days.
- Disgruntled employees erasing or damaging critical business data
- Distributed denial of service attacks making banking and government sites unable to render service.
- Cyberattacks causing companies to temporarily halt services and ask their customers to change their account credentials.
- Ransomware attacks locking organizations out of their computers as well as their backups.
- Canadian businesses lost approximately $2.3 billion in ransomware payments and downtime costs.
- Those that do not pay ransoms have their data exposed or sold on the Dark Web, often resulting in a public relations nightmare.
- Human errors causing computer systems of businesses to shut down.
How do disasters — natural or otherwise — hurt businesses?
Disasters can hurt businesses in three ways: first, by directly disrupting operations, second by preventing a business from resuming operations, and third, by corrupting or erasing critical business data needed to continue to operate. When your business gets hit by a disaster, it can paralyze your supply chain and disrupt customer buying habits. As if that’s not enough, while you’re dealing with your disaster, your competitors are marching forward, potentially leaving you in catch-up mode for years to come.
Further reading:
Lessons from a disaster recovery plan audit
3 Disaster recovery myths, debunked
How can a disaster recovery plan ensure business continuity?
In most cases, a disaster recovery plan (DRP) is your ticket to a timely and organized response to a calamity or another disruptive event. Businesses that do not have a DRP tend to respond to disasters haphazardly. That is, they proceed without knowing which business components should be addressed first to facilitate the resumption of operations as quickly as possible.
As with most situations in life, the key to proper response is preparation. Being ready for the worst will set you up to shoot for the best. And in times of calamity, having a plan will ensure that you don’t get too bogged down trying to restart operations.
“The key to proper response is preparation.”
The great thing about DRPs is that the more you commit to building one, the less work you’ll face should you need to deploy it. This is because when disaster hits, you’ll know exactly what to do and you’ll have resources at your disposal. To illustrate, your DRP can outline how you’ll leverage your cloud assets to help your business operate digitally should your on-site servers get affected by a fire, flood, or ransomware attack. This saves you time, effort, and money.
Ensure business continuity with XBASE Technologies
In the age of managed IT services, the smart call is to partner with a highly experienced and qualified MSP like XBASE. We’ll help you develop a holistic IT strategy that leverages both the cloud and your existing infrastructure. Disaster readiness shouldn’t come at the expense of your livelihood, so we’ll devise a plan that doesn’t only cover all the bases, but also helps you preserve your resources.
However, disaster recovery planning the XBASE way goes beyond just formulating the plan. What sets us apart from the rest is our level of competency and desire to provide top-notch customer service. When a disaster occurs, we’ll be available 24/7 to provide assistance.
XBASE is Toronto’s premier managed tech services provider. Empower your business with our Exponentially Better™ IT expertise. Download our eBook on backups and disaster recovery to learn more.
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