The notion that companies from sea to shining sea need to beef up business continuity and disaster recovery strategies is gaining a lot of attention. How could it not? From hurricanes to terrorism, it seems as though disaster could strike at any minute, and if your company doesn't have a sound plan in place to keep in touch with employees and recover data during a time of crisis, you could be courting massive trouble.

A recent Associated Press business feature (via BusinessWeek) provides solid tips for small-business owners that could really apply to any small business in any industry.

Businesses of all sizes face similar issues in disaster planning. The most important aspects of a plan, says Tom Serio, director of global business continuity management for Office Depot Inc., should be protecting a company's employees and its data.

"It doesn't have to be a million-dollar situation — it can be very small, affordable," Serio tells The Associated Press. "Start with the basics and move ahead."

For instance, business owners should educate employees about disaster preparation for their families and homes, especially since the massive destruction and disruption caused by Katrina proved that disaster planning needs to be more comprehensive. Office Depot's plan now calls for employees to supply contact information such as a spouse's cell phone number, home e-mail addresses (especially as many people can access their e-mail remotely) and phone numbers for friends and family who live out of state. And if you plan to back up data on a remote site, make sure it's more than 20 miles away. If this route proves to be too expensive, load data onto CDs and store them away from the workplace.

Avoiding obvious steps like those aforementioned seems to be more popular than actually following them, as AP points out:

Herb Mitchell, associate administrator of the Small Business Administration's Office of Disaster Assistance, said that while there is heightened interest in disaster prep in places like the Gulf Coast, "beyond that, there does seem to be a tendency toward business as usual."

Further addressing "it'll-never-happen-to-me" syndrome, "Edwards Disaster Recovery Directory" Editor-in-Chief Steve Lewis says that disaster preparation can mean getting your company ready for somebody else's disaster — "if your key supplier is wiped out, your business could be hurt even if you're far away from the afflicted area."

An India Times piece yesterday also underscores the importance of storing and backing up data that can be accessed remotely:

The goal in disaster recovery is to keep core business functions operating under all circumstances, according to Tim Clark, partner with The FactPoint Group. For this reason, says Clark, remote access is key to disaster recovery, because typical business disruptions keep employees and other users away from the office and the local area network (LAN).

Leave it to The Tuttle Times of Tuttle, Oklahoma, to provide a laundry list of steps that businesses can take to prepare for disaster recovery. Tuttle describes disaster recovery this way:

Disasters can include but are not limited to environmental disasters, loss of utilities and services, equipment failure and organized or deliberate disruption, such as an act of terrorism. No matter the situation, when a recovery plan is in place, a business will be able to handle these situations if they occur.

Unfortunately for many businesses, it's not a matter of "if" but "when." Will you be ready?

Additional Reading: Machine Shop Disaster Forethought