While business owners may feel like developing emergency planning initiatives is a process that can only happen internally, this type of readiness can sometimes be best developed when a number of interconnected organizations are willing to work together.

For instance, to encourage emergency planning, the company managers and owners who use shared office or industrial parks may benefit by partnering to ensure that workers are protected in the event of a natural disaster or other unexpected occurrence.

While this type of planning can easily be forgotten during each business' day-to-day concerns, when a disaster strikes, businesses may be forced to interact under extreme circumstances. For example, even if one company is fully prepared to evacuate its office following an unplanned catastrophe, an unprepared business situated next door or on the floor below could cause problems for a business owner's best laid plans.

By engaging their entire office park to adopt coordinated emergency planning, however, business owners may be able to collectively ensure that their workers are able to safely respond to any challenges that occur. However, the first step is for business owners to take initiative and start the conversation.

Still, while ensuring that every worker remains safe is a top priority, business owners must also consider how they will ensure that their operations continue in the aftermath.

While this may seem daunting, with the help of a business impact analysis from a disaster recovery consultant, business owners can gain the knowledge and expertise that will allow them to secure the best available hot sites, workgroup centers and data management facilities that can help them recover in the aftermath of the unexpected.