21/12/2008

Teliad Affiliate

This affiliate from TeliAd

src="http://www.teliad.com/gfx/en/banner/468x060_1.gif"
alt="teliad - the marketplace for text links"
title="teliad - the marketplace for text links" />

09/12/2008

How to Evaluate Business Continuity Services

How to Evaluate Business Continuity Services

Author: A Nutt

Business continuity is a matter of business survival. If you're not sure what it is, it is what you do to make sure everything is up and running in the case of a disaster. Many companies have a business continuity plan, which means they will be prepared in case of an earthquake, a power surge, or another disaster that could keep them from doing business.



A business continuity service can help a business continue their business operations. This is usually because data storage and other functions are taken care of off-site and usually from another place in the world. However, what this does is allow the business to retrieve the information that they need. In many cases, customers are not even aware that there is a problem. They don't need to know that there is a problem. All they need to know is that their situation was taken care of accordingly. They don't have to know about anything that is going on within your business.



Evaluating a business continuity service



To find the right business continuity service, you need to evaluate the service. First, you need to look at the continuity services they offer. If they offer things that you don't need, then see if they can offer you just what you need. A lot of business continuity services have plans that you can choose from. Basically, you are able to customize your plan to what you need. Only you know what your business truly needs, so you should be able to have a choice within reason.



To really find out if they are everything they say that they are, you can check with the Better Business Bureau or similar organization in their area. You can also check online reviews and such. Someone somewhere has most likely said something about the business. They have either talked about how well the business did for them or how horrible their service was. Yes, it is very hard to satisfy everyone, but you can more or less pinpoint negative reviews or statements that are from hard to please people.



As you continue on in their research, make sure you ask the business continuity service a lot of questions. Ask them any questions about things that concern you. Also see about a trial period. Although it is slim that you'll experience a disaster, you can possibly arrange a testing of the service to see how well they come through for you. You want to see how seamless they are when it comes to continuing on your services when your business is dealing with a disaster.



The advantages



The advantages are quite evident. First of all, you're not alone in dealing with a disaster. Second, you do not have to answer a thousand questions from your employees. Third, your employees will know more about what is going on. That means they are less likely to panic when disaster strikes. The last thing you need during a disaster is a lot of unnecessary panic. This can make things worse than what they already are.



The disaster itself is hard enough the way it is, so it is only right that you employ a business continuity service to ensure that things go as smooth as possible. You need to focus on those other things that are affected. You shouldn't have to worry about whether or not you're entering into a situation that could take years to recover from. Then again, there are times when a business encounters a disaster that they never recover from. With a business continuity service in place and a plan, disaster can be averted.

About the Author:
Managed Services provider delivers a "higher level" of managed IT services. Visit us to learn more: data centre Toronto

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/business-articles/how-to-evaluate-business-continuity-services-675641.html

Learn to Express Your Business Vision

Web Development becomes the visible expression of a long-term dream. In many ways the hardest work in your online business occurs long before you get online.

The seed of your idea was planted long ago. Many storms have come to buffet your seed and the soil surrounding it. The sun of great days came to encourage it to grow. In the end you began to realize there was substance to your dream and the fruit being developed was ripe for the picking. You picked because you knew what to do with the fruit.

This is the point when web development becomes the logical next step. The role of this process is to share your vision. Face it, you understand your vision, the concepts unique to the dream and how others might benefit from what you have to offer. Your web design can welcome others to the party.

This is the point where wannabes are separated from the true visionaries. This is where business branding comes into play. This is the process that asks you to boil down, condense and extract the vital elements of your dream and remain so in control of the vision that you can breathe life into the idea in every phase of your site development.

Some potential business owners will err when they determine to move forward with an ill-defined concept and hope that it works out for them. The truth is it's almost impossible to sell a concept and instill trust when you really don't know what you are doing. It is difficult to be convincing when you're still trying to learn the ropes.

Most consumers will pass on a product if the salesperson can't adequately explain what the product does, how it helps the average consumer and whether the product exhibits exceptional quality.
I don't know about you, but I will happily go to a more expensive computer store to purchase components than to go into a department store where I am greeted by someone who has yet to take their SAT or ACT. More often than not they have general knowledge about computers. After all they are a generation that has known nothing but computers. However, they may not be able to deal in specifics and that's the kind of information I need.

This is the picture of how business owners approach web design. They can be highly specific and have worked hard to so completely understand their objectives that they become natural leaders in the advancement of their dream. They can also be somewhat wishy washy about where they're headed and set things up to resemble something akin to a cyber lemonade stand. There might be the occasional pity buy, but no one seriously believes they are a connoisseur of lemons.

Can you so identify with your dream that you could explain your vision in one well-defined moment, or would it require scattered bits and pieces of thought over a long period of time to catch a glimpse of your dream?

Take time to become friends with your dream. The result will be a web development project that really connects with both you and your customers.

www.articlesbase.com