How do you plan for business IT disaster? Your business has Heimlich maneuver posters displayed, signs for first aid on the wall, evacuation routes for fire prominent near the doors and took out damage insurance coverage on your notebook computers. You just missed one small piece of the puzzle: business recovery. Without it, a small business cannot withstand even one natural or employee-induced catastrophe. It's estimated that 25% of all small businesses cannot withstand a natural disaster. Is yours one of them?

Here are five disaster situations and what you "coulda shoulda" do to plan for them.

FIRE EARTHQUAKE TERRORISM FLOOD WATER DAMAGE TORNADO: Are you scared yet? Do you have the backup hardware in place to survive and be up and running within 30 days? In the late 90s, 5 buildings went up in a frightening blaze in a nearby city and I pulled up-to-the-minute financials off a smoldering server via dialup (we got 'em, but it was harrowing). Is your backup drive in place and tested? Do you have a readable tape backup from yesterday in an off-site location that you know about? If not, make sure you have (a) good data backup systems and (b) a backup drive and 7 tapes (one to keep off-site) and are paying someone to be in charge of rotating them daily.

Hints:

• Backup to a second drive, NOT to your computer's hard drive. Good software will not allow same-drive backups.
• Shut down Outlook at night or your email will not be backed up.
• Burn the data on the tapes or portable drive to a DVD once in a while.
• Windows Vista SP1 lets you create a recovery disk. Create several and store in different places.
  
• If your CDs or DVDs are damaged, use CD Recovery Toolbox instead of drinking hemlock .

DATA DISGRUNTLEMENT: Could your company's mission-critical data fall victim to a disgruntled employee? We've talked about securing your domain and urged you to organize your logo and business-critical graphics, so let's add ensuring that your critical data does not fall prey to disgruntlement. Once you have the hardware (tape drives, external USB hard drives), and even though Windows XP Pro has free backup utilities (Start /All Programs /Accessories /System Tools / Backup - go here if you have Windows XP Home), there are free programs with reminders and classy schedulers you can use:

• Backup2zip - Will not backup locked files if they are in use (see "shut down Outlook" above)
• ICE Mirror - Creates exact duplicate of original directories and allows differential updates
• Freebyte Backup - For Windows; easy copy and filter from various sources into one backup directory
• Find a bunch more free backup programs here.

WEBSITE NON-NEUTRALITY: Does the Webmaster for your firm keep a death grip over the site? Do you even know how to log in with whatever site update tools you use? If not, go gather and learn. Make sure that your Web hosting company promises at least 7-day backup for your Web site for that just-in-case disaster.

While you're at it, make sure there's a copy of your site on a local computer. But back up the site anyway: get the Firefox add-in ScrapBook so you can save and organize Web pages or an entire site. It's not the same as a full and complete backup of your site (with the background databases that are beyond critical) but it can help with disaster recovery.

These tools promise to download a complete site and are free.

• HTTrack Website Copier (looks to be the best of the bunch)
  
• Backstreet Browser (offline tool)
• Website Puller
  
• Go to this site to see more free Web site downloaders and to read reviews.

MORE POWER: Perhaps simple-sounding, but do you have backup batteries in place for critical machines and have you moved non-critical electronics off the backup? Backup batteries (brand names: APC and UPS) last several years but then begin beeping which means that the battery has worn out (an annoying sound you probably ignored). If your backup batteries are more than 3 years old, get them tested. If you don't have any power backup, buy some. Your server gets the first backup battery, and the IT person's computer gets the next. Take all-but-critical monitors off backup batteries, including cell phone and gadget rechargers (which draw power even when nothing is plugged into them). Sorry, no freebies, but get "smart" software that shuts machines down (without crashing) if the power goes out and nobody's home.

PLAN FOR DISASTER: Make a disaster plan. If you have yet to read the fire extinguisher directions and plan to do so during a fire, a disaster plan should be written prior to tragedy.

Be sure you know how you're going to communicate with workers and customers. Review these free documents:

• Communicating in a Crisis [PDF] Part 1 and Part 2 as a starting guide.
• Get a free disaster safety review here [PDF] or the Open for Business [PDF] booklet here.
• There's a useful disaster planning checklist here.

BOTTOM LINE: Save your business, your employees and your income with 5-step disaster planning using as much free online software and information as possible. Got more disaster planning tips? Please put them into comments.