For many, an Internet connection is a critical component of doing business in today's market; it's how companies communicate with customers and with other team members. Make sure you have a plan for your Internet in case your primary connection goes down, says Steve Epner, founder of Brown Smith Wallace Consulting Group in Disaster Plans: ‘No Single Point of Failure.’

“One thing we suggest to most people – if you’re dependent on the Internet, have two ways to connect,” Epner says. He recommends distributors have connections from both the telephone company and the cable company, with wires coming in from different sides of the building.

Middletown, NY-based F&F Industrial Equipment’s Frank Fasano Jr., vice president of operations, has been proactive in helping his company to develop a disaster plan. He says many companies, especially smaller ones, put disaster planning on the backburner, with many thinking disasters won’t happen to them. But ignoring the possibility can be devastating.

Here in Boulder, CO, where MDM is based, recent flooding disrupted many communication lines. Our team has been able to keep up with most business functions and stay in communication with one another through secure remote access to the company's server. This also allowed the team to stay safely away from damaged areas.

Get more disaster planning tips in Disaster Plans: ‘No Single Point of Failure.’