Business continuity plan 'important' for SMEs

The implementation of a sound business continuity plan is important for small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), it has been claimed.

According to comments made by Steve Murphy, the managing director of Hitachi Data Systems in the UK, SMEs should ensure they possess a reliable plan, as they often lack the resources to recover from a disaster, should it affect their business.

Indeed, according to data released by the London Chamber of Commerce, 90 per cent of businesses experiencing data loss are forced to close within two years.

"Putting in place a tested business continuity plan is extremely important for all businesses, particularly [SMEs], as they rarely have the reserves necessary to pick the business up after a disaster," said Mr Murphy.

He also described data as the "lifeblood" of a business.

As part of a structured and sound business continuity strategy, Mr Murphy recommended that data should be backed up on a daily and weekly basis.