National Preparedness Month — an initiative to encourage citizens to make their emergency plans in advance of disasters such as hurricanes, forest fires, power outages and more — is coming to a close, and CDK Global is taking note.

The digital marketing and information technology company for the auto space said it wanted to remind dealers about the importance of disaster preparedness plans, and offered five tips to ensure their businesses are ready for anything that comes their way.

"Disaster can strike with or without warning," said Jim Foote, vice president and chief business security officer at CDK Global. "It's important for business owners to have a plan in advance to protect their people and systems. One of the hardest things to replace is your data. Buildings can be rebuilt, equipment and inventory replaced, but not your lost data."

Take Hurricane Sandy, for example, which caused more than $50 billion in damage and losses. CDK Global pointed out that an estimated $30 billion of that was attributed to business in the form of closed offices and factories, and shutdowns in transportation and electricity.

CDK Global offered the five following tips for dealers to make sure they are prepared in the event of a natural disaster and can recover quickly.

• Have a written plan, and make sure everyone has a copy. Writing a plan and educating your entire staff will make sure everyone understands what their role is and the steps they need to take in an emergency.
• Designate teams for key business operations. Before, during and after the disaster period, your most crucial operational need will be communications. Without it, you can't do much else. Designate a team to be responsible for key communications, as well as your day-to-day business operations (payroll, parts, service, etc.) and data recovery.
• Use an offsite location to back up your on premise data and paper records. In the case of a power outage or system failure, you will want to have your data backed up in a secure environment or on physical media sent to an offsite storage where your paper records are also stored. Ensure that your offsite storage vendor is taking items to areas that won't be impacted by the same threats as you — for example, if you're in a hurricane zone, use a site that is farther inland.
• Evaluate your disaster insurance coverage. Review policies with your insurance agent to make sure the dealership is covered for the appropriate types of disasters, and the proper values of your building contents, inventory, etc.
• Test your preparedness. What would you do if key IT people, like your systems administrator, aren't available in an emergency? Write it down. Have materials and processes in place to do business the old fashioned way, on paper, until power is restored.

"We've heard from automotive dealers who have been through disasters large and small and they say the worst thing is to underestimate the damage that can occur," said Foote. "Following these simple steps can make all of the difference. People in your community will rely on you, especially if there's been damage to vehicles, to help recover and a comprehensive plan will help your business get back up and running."