The recent storms and flooding to impact the UK demonstrate that business continuity and disaster recovery are essential practices for all businesses no matter how big or small.

Recent research from the Federation of Small Business (FSB) has revealed that economic costs to SMEs as a result of the floods are set to exceed £830m, highlighting the need for business continuity services, regardless of the size of the business.

“It is clear from the FSB research, as well as our own findings, which has seen our customer base for Cloud DR services grow within the past year by 104%, that continuity of service must be at the forefront for all businesses and that very much includes the SME community," explained Mike Osborne, managing director of business continuity at Phoenix. "Currently the mindset amongst SMEs when it comes to BC and DR services is generally a lack of preparedness, with an insufficient structure often in place to cope with disasters. Considering that SMEs account for the majority of UK firms, this mindset needs to change, especially when you consider the economic burdens left upon us by the recent floods.

“Overall, the key message we need to spread to SMEs is to use this experience as a catalyst to understand the realities of disaster recovery and investigate the options that are now readily available and affordable for them as to how risk can be managed. BC and DR services are now available at a cost that does not exclude the SME. They take the complexity out of trying to understand where to get started with a BC plan, including all the elements needed for a credible and successful recovery," he added.

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