Web-based business-continuity manual available for agency owners
IA&B encourages emergency preparedness
Contact:
Karen Robison
(717) 795-9100 Ext. 606
July 14, 2009 – Fires, floods, chemical spills, pandemics … the emergencies that could threaten a small business’s livelihood are endless. But members of Insurance Agents & Brokers now have a resource to help them restore operations.
The association today released the Emergency and Business Continuity Planning Manual, a turnkey tool consisting of a Web-based input module and a customized output to help agency owners prepare for, respond to and recover from an emergency.
“Each year thousands of small- and medium-sized businesses suffer a crisis that disrupts their operations,” said Robert Cawley, chairman of the Insurance Agents & Brokers Service Group, “and about a quarter of them never reopen. IA&B’s manual is designed to improve those odds for our members.”
The Emergency and Business Continuity Planning manual walks agency owners through cataloging their business contacts, outlining their operational needs, prioritizing their critical functions and completing risk analyses.
“The goal is for agency owners to do the legwork now so that their business functions can be restored as seamlessly as possible if their world is turned upside down,” said Cawley.
The manual includes timelines, implementation guidelines and recommendations for agencies in crisis. Agency owners are encouraged to store their manual in print and on an electronic storage device, with one of them kept offsite. As a backup, IA&B also stores each member’s manual on the association’s secure network.
The Emergency and Business Continuity Planning Manual is available as a benefit of IA&B membership for independent agencies in Delaware, Maryland and Pennsylvania.
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About Insurance Agents & Brokers Service Group
The Insurance Agents & Brokers Service Group oversees the partnership of agents’ associations in Delaware, Maryland and Pennsylvania that work together to deliver pre-eminent programs, products and services for their nearly 1,600 members. Led by dedicated agent volunteers and staffed by 40 professionals, IA&B is recognized and respected nationally for its industry-leading efforts in agent professional development, advocacy, industry information and knowledge base, communications and more.
IA&B is affiliated with the National Association of Professional Insurance Agents in all three states and with the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America in Delaware and Pennsylvania.
To learn more, visit www.iabgroup.com.
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