(London– December2011) – Just under half of businesses globally (45%) do not have a disaster recovery (DR) plan in place for their IT and even more (55%) have no business continuity for their workspace requirements. The catastrophic spate of disasters that occurred in 2011 has driven the issue of DR to the top of boardroom agendas highlighting the huge cost to businesses that natural disasters and their aftermath can cause. Although these are extreme examples, the consequences of common events such as fires and vandalism can also seriously damage a business.
In order to take the pulse of global business ‘preparedness’, the latest survey by Regus, the world’s largest provider of flexible workplaces, canvassed the opinions of over 12,000 business people in 85 countries and found that a significant proportion of firms are taking a huge risk with their shareholder’s assets and failing to take proper precautions. Key findings include:
• 45% of firms globally do not have an IT IT DR plan in place ensuring systems are up and running within 24 hours;
• Globally 55% of firms have no workplace recovery that could be available within 24 hours;
• 33% of respondents globally report that they perceive the cost the cost of DR as prohibitive;
• However, more than half of respondents (55%) declared that they would invest in workplace recovery if the service were suitably priced;
• Although larger firms are better prepared for disaster recovery than smaller companies, 26% of larger corporates still remain without a DR facility for their IT systems, and 40% have no workplace DR facility;
• Financial services (71%) and ICT businesses (66%) were more likely to have a business continuity plan although more than 40% of firms in these sectors have no workplace recovery arrangement.
Regus spokesperson comments: “The research reveals that across the globe around half of firms have no formal business continuity strategy for their IT or their workforce. With reports indicating that the average incident can cost up to US$500,000 this lack of planning could spell disaster for many firms.
“Most businesses appear to run this risk due to the high perceived cost of DR, but also report that they would be willing to pay a monthly fee to access a workplace disaster recovery facility in case of emergency. This is an important indication that although too many businesses are taking a gamble, their mentality is changing. As affordable products and services become available around the globe, it is likely that more businesses will finally stop hoping for the best and seriously start planning to prepare for the worst.”
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About Regus
Regus is the world’s largest provider of flexible workplaces, with products and services ranging from fully equipped offices to professional meeting rooms, business lounges and the world’s largest network of video communication studios. Regus enables people to work in their own way, whether it’s from home, on the road or from an office. Customers such as Google, GlaxoSmithKline, and Nokia join hundreds of thousands of growing small and medium businesses that benefit from outsourcing their office and workplace needs to Regus, allowing them to focus on their core activities.
Over 900,000 customers a day benefit from Regus facilities spread across a global footprint of 1,200 locations in 550 cities and 92 countries, which allow individuals and companies to work wherever, however and whenever they want to. Regus was founded in Brussels, Belgium in 1989, is headquartered in Luxembourg and listed on the London Stock Exchange. For more information please visit: www.regus.com