Hosted technologies can play an important role in mitigating business risk. They store and support data away from a company’s premises and are supervised and supported by third-party experts. This means that if a business site is affected by damage and disruption, the company’s records and systems will emerge unscathed.
The benefits of this are not to be underestimated. In 2005, a devastating fire at an oil depot at Buncefield, near Hemel Hempstead in the UK, damaged more than 80 buildings on industrial estates surrounding the depot, and some were demolished by the blasts. Internet shopping giant ASOS was just one of the businesses affected; it lost stock in the fire, but thankfully its data, including incoming and outgoing customer orders, was stored offsite in a hosted facility, meaning that it could continue to trade and communicate using stock stored elsewhere.
Easing the pressure
Hosted systems also provide continuity of workflow. If employees are unable to reach company premises, they can still work on data and documents from home. Similarly, if a key employee becomes suddenly unavailable, the hosted system will enable a company to access work and documents without interruption.
From an IP perspective, this is crucial. Missing docketing or renewal deadlines could risk irretrievable loss to your IP assets – or those of your clients. But how many companies factor this type of threat into the daily running of their business? Hosted systems provide an easy and proven means of taking the pressure off and relieving a company of the risk of such losses. They can also provide the foundation of a fail-safe business continuity plan.
This article first appeared in IP Review, issue 27
