Tulsa still has a great deal of snow on the ground and roads…and it is not likely to melt away soon. I decided to venture out in my car this afternoon. As I drove to my destination I noticed several pods of cars on the side of the road.

Judging by their positions, I suspect that one car lost control and the others tried to avoid a head-on collision. They were probably moving along just fine; nothing looming on the horizon.

What struck me as I drove is that this often happens to small businesses of all sizes: solopreneur, small home office, small office or small business with fewer than 20 computers. They are simply not prepared for unexpected events. It always happens to the other guy.

So as we get ready to start the New Year, is your business prepared? A relatively “small” incident can destroy your business.   While you cannot plan for everything, you can do several things to mitigate the risks and reduce your time to recover. Here are a few different things to consider:

1)      Do you have adequate insurance to replace computing and other equipment?

2)      Do you have a hardware and software asset inventory to facilitate discussions with the insurance company and your I.T. support personnel?

3)      Do you have a good data backup provider?

4)      Have you tested the backup by restoring the data?

5)      Have you identified the critical processes in your business and created plans that will allow you to function if a resource becomes available?

6)      Is your security software up-to-date?

7)      Do you have a disaster recovery or business continuity plan?

Take the time to assess your current situation and contact your favorite managed service provider or computer repair technician if you need help. If you don’t have one, feel free to ask questions of @ITMinefield on twitter.

To download the chapter, “When Disaster Strikes” from Navigating the I.T. Minefield: Straight Talk for the Small Enterprise, go to http://bit.ly/1VAZRX.

Best wishes for a prosperous 2010.

Wishing you safe passage through the I.T. Minefield!

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Leslie Knight is a small business consultant with over 20 years of experience in Information Technology management in Fortune 500 companies.  She applies her experience in Corporate America saving them millions to smaller entrepreneurial enterprises. She is also the author of Navigating the I.T. Minefield.

If you’d like to purchase a copy of Navigating the I.T. Minefield: Straight Talk for the Small Enterprise, please visit http://bit.ly/SNL4W.