By Kevin Lavery, KWMU
St. Louis, MO – An annual survey by telecom provider AT&T finds St. Louis area businesses are generally unprepared to respond to a natural or manmade disaster.
The company surveyed 1,000 IT executives in 10 cities. It found one-third of all St. Louis companies said planning for business continuity after a disaster is not a priority. However, 52% of those companies that do have a plan said they've updated them in the last six months.
AT&Ts Richard Shank says plans can help businesses spot deficiencies and measure lost income: "Companies measure their downtime in terms of dollars per minute. And once they can understand that, understanding what it would cost to get a disaster recovery plan in place sells itself."
The report recommends companies install backup networks and establish alternative work sites.