Small Business Disaster Workshops Coming to 15 Cities
The second annual national series of small business disaster workshops by HP and SCORE, Counselors to America's Small Business, began April 2 in Sacramento and are set for 15 cities in coming months. Dubbed "wellness" workshops for small businesses, the events underscore the necessity of disaster planning for small businesses. HP (Hewlett-Packard Development Company, LP) and SCORE recently published an "Impact on US Small Business of Natural & Man-Made Disasters" white paper showing the consequences a small business could face if unprepared.
Information on the white paper and registration for the events are available at www.score.org/HP_events.html. The schedule has them in Fairfax, Va. on April 29; Philadelphia on May 13; San Jose on May 20; Warwick, R.I. on May 29; Austin, Texas on June 4; Birmingham, Ala. on June 11; Nashville on June 25; Raleigh, N.C. on July 9; Denver on Sept. 10; Milwaukee on Sept. 17; Cincinnati on Oct. 8; Louisville on Oct. 22; Las Vegas on Nov. 19; Tampa on Dec. 2; and Kansas City, Mo. on Dec. 9.
"HP has a long history of supporting small business and is excited to work with SCORE again to educate small businesses on how to protect themselves against unexpected natural and technology-related disasters," said Lisa Baker, director, Business Marketing–Americas, of HP's Personal Systems Group. "Our workshops were widely successful last year, and once again, we will aim to help small businesses focus on their bottom line, rather than on technology challenges."
"With our mission to foster the growth and success of small business, SCORE understands that disaster planning is imperative, not a 'nice to have,' " said SCORE CEO Ken Yancey. "As today's small businesses are increasingly dependent on their computer systems, these workshops combine SCORE's scenario planning expertise with HP's data protection knowledge to address the full spectrum of disaster preparedness."
Storms, fires, unexpected hard drive collapses, and other events can cause small businesses to lose vital customer data, tax documents, employee records, and other critical information, the partner companies say. During the workshops, attendees will learn how to protect their core business information, and they can join a bonus "greening your business" session for tips on making their businesses environmentally responsible.