Navigating Wildfire Challenges: Why Disaster Preparedness Should Be Every Business’s Priority
Recently, the Davis Creek Fire reminded us all of how quickly life can change. In Northern Nevada, wildfires are a constant threat, and every year we hear stories that bring our community’s resilience into focus. One such story that deeply resonated with me was about a woman who had to evacuate her home and spent days camping in a Walmart parking lot. While there, she saw a group of firefighters heading into the store for dinner and wanted to show her gratitude by paying for their meal. To her surprise, it turned out these were the very firefighters who had saved her home. The coincidence was amazing, and stories like this remind us how deeply interconnected we all are. These moments make the idea of "community" feel very real.
This sense of connection extends to businesses as well. When natural disasters like wildfires strike, it's not just individuals who are affected—businesses feel the impact too. For small businesses, the stress of downtime can be overwhelming, as it can lead to lost revenue, missed opportunities, and a significant disruption in operations. That’s why having a disaster recovery plan in place is so essential.
The Reality of Natural Disasters for Businesses
Natural disasters like wildfires can stop a business in its tracks. During the Davis Creek Fire, we had to postpone our company’s planned ribbon-cutting ceremony, initially scheduled for September 12th. As evacuation warnings escalated, it became clear that the safety of our team and guests had to come first. Like families forced to evacuate, businesses also experience their own challenges. For two of our clients, this meant power outages and evacuation orders that could have easily crippled their operations. However, due to their proactive planning—with cloud backups and remote work capabilities in place—they were able to stay operational even under difficult circumstances.
Disasters like these emphasize why preparedness isn’t just important for homes, but for businesses as well. Having a disaster recovery plan in place ensures that, even in the face of a wildfire or other natural events, your business can keep moving forward.
The Importance of a Dedicated Backup Plan for Your Business and IT Assets
In today's digital world, having a dedicated backup plan is a fundamental part of any disaster recovery strategy. It’s not just about keeping your data safe—it’s about ensuring that your entire IT infrastructure can be restored quickly when disruptions occur. Whether it’s a natural disaster like the Davis Creek Fire or a cyberattack, without a dedicated backup plan, businesses risk losing everything.
A backup plan should include more than just occasional data saves. It should involve regular backups, preferably to the cloud, automated systems to ensure backups happen consistently, and regular testing to ensure those backups can be successfully restored.
Key Elements of a Strong Backup Plan:
- Cloud-Based Backups: Storing data in the cloud ensures that it’s accessible even if your physical office is damaged or inaccessible. Cloud backups are secure and can be quickly restored to keep operations running smoothly.
- Regular Backup Scheduling: Set up automatic, regularly scheduled backups so that your data remains current and you minimize the risk of losing critical information during an emergency.
- Backup Testing: It’s essential to regularly test your backup systems to ensure they’re functioning as expected. There’s nothing worse than finding out during a crisis that your backups weren’t working properly.
- Automated Systems: Automation reduces human error. With automated backups, you can rest assured that your data is being saved regularly without relying on someone to remember to do it.
- Disaster Recovery as a Service (DRaaS): Many businesses are now turning to DRaaS to simplify disaster recovery. DRaaS allows businesses to replicate their entire infrastructure in the cloud, making it easier to restore operations in the event of a disaster.
Downtime Can Be Costly—Backups Prevent It
When disaster strikes, every moment counts. Downtime doesn’t just cost businesses money—it can lead to loss of customer trust and damage to your brand’s reputation. A comprehensive backup plan minimizes downtime by ensuring your systems and data can be restored quickly, so your business can resume normal operations as soon as possible.
Risk Evaluation and Business-Critical Asset Identification
One of the most important aspects of disaster preparedness is identifying the critical assets that your business can’t afford to lose. Every business is different, and it’s essential to understand which parts of your operation are most vulnerable to disruption. Whether it’s customer data, financial records, or your IT systems, identifying your most critical assets allows you to prioritize their protection and recovery.
At Sierra Miles, we work with businesses to conduct risk evaluations, helping them pinpoint the areas where they’re most vulnerable. This allows for a targeted, effective disaster recovery plan that addresses the unique needs of each business.
Why Disaster Recovery Plans Are Non-Negotiable
At Sierra Miles, we have always emphasized the importance of disaster recovery planning, but the Davis Creek Fire brought that lesson home in a very real way. A disaster recovery plan isn’t just a document that gets filed away—it’s a living, breathing part of your business strategy that should be updated regularly.
Here’s why every business needs a robust disaster recovery plan:
- Data is Essential: Businesses rely on data to function, and without a proper recovery plan, data loss can be catastrophic. Cloud backups ensure that your critical information is always safe and accessible, even if your physical office is compromised.
- Effective Communication: A disaster recovery plan outlines clear communication protocols, ensuring that your employees know who to contact and what to do in a crisis.
- Regular Testing: A disaster recovery plan is only useful if it’s been tested. By regularly testing your plan, you can ensure that it will work when you need it most.
Community Resilience and Moving Forward
On the day the Davis Creek Fire started, I remember driving by some of our amazing local firefighters collecting donations for the Fill the Boot fundraiser. Little did we know that later that day, many of those same firefighters would be called to the front lines, battling the wildfire to protect our homes and businesses. Their dedication reminds us all of the importance of community during these times.
As we move forward, the lessons from the Davis Creek Fire are clear: whether it's preparing your home or your business, resilience is key. For businesses, that means having a comprehensive disaster recovery plan in place that includes a dedicated backup strategy and modern recovery technologies.
At Sierra Miles, we’re here to help businesses of all sizes develop disaster recovery plans that protect their critical assets, minimize downtime, and ensure business continuity during any crisis. We look forward to celebrating our rescheduled ribbon-cutting on October 10th with a renewed sense of community and preparedness.
Stay safe, stay prepared,
Brandon App
Partner, Sierra Miles Group