How can a company’s knowledge base be protected in an event of a natural disaster Essay

Due to the advent of globalization, the industries and organizations all around the globe are expanding and there is an increasing development across national barriers. As the businesses are becoming more competitive, so are the labor markets. Knowledge is of the essence and it is one of the most valuable source competitive edges of a business over others. A knowledge base is knowledge management system. It is similar to a database which is basically a collection of tables that hold the data in an organized manner. It is used in companies where data usage is integrated and shared. Most companies use databases to record all kinds of information that is confidential to outside parties. Databases make data management more efficient and effective. It provides an integrated view of the organizations operations and reduces the probability of inconsistent data. This paper would focus on the venture of knowledge base and how can it be protected in an event of natural disaster. Discussion Knowledge base holds all kind of strategic, tactic and operational information that could be used by upcoming employees. In today’s highly competition markets, knowledge is of the essence. Companies need as much information as they need in order to aware and agile of their environment and the markets. Due to the competition in the labor market, there is constant change among the workers in organizations; employees tend to skip from jobs to jobs looking for new opportunities and better offers. This leads to the transaction of information that the employees hold. As the employees are valuable assets of the organization. (Trochim, 2001) We live in a rather knowledge driven economy where knowledge holds great importance, whether it be of the global environment, about internal organizational processes or about the historical proceedings that have brought about change. This knowledge management process is better known through business continuity planning or knowledge asset protection planning. Knowledge continuity management is a growing process that focuses on the preservation of information and knowledge regarding the business that is possessed by the various stakeholders of the business. This knowledge is preserved so that it can be made accessible to those that follow in the organization. (Krishna, 1992) Knowledge present within the organizations systems is valuable to the existing as well as the upcoming leaders, employers and volunteers of the business. Hence, its protection holds the utmost importance. The occurrence of natural disasters and other catastrophic events is rather inevitable and the possibility of a natural disaster hitting the organization must, at all time, be taken into account. Vital information that would be used to rejuvenate the business after a natural disaster should assessed as to avoid the organization from halting. On regular basis, all knowledge and data must have backup restorations at different locations. This helps in accessing information if the original source gets destroyed or corrupted due to viruses, intrusions or natural occurrences. Back up data allows the business to function normally even if its system gets hacked or is out of order as copies of the knowledge base and databases are kept elsewhere. There are various knowledge asset protection planning programs that help ensure organizations to have access to their knowledge assets in the event of a natural catastrophe. These programs have various sources through which the knowledge base can be regained after a disaster making it easy for the organization to reinstate its standard activities. This knowledge protection system allows the organization to be prepared to face any kind of hindrance, it protects the valuable information of the organization, also prevents any obstruction and impediment due to the loss of valuable information that has been carried on for years. Moreover, when the knowledge base of the organization is safe from intrusions it is easier for the company management and upper level employees to be more unperturbed and stress-free and hence, can concentrate on other areas of growth. Conclusion In the end it is important to understand that with the increasingly knowledge dependent economies, organizations need to be active and agile at all times. Without sufficient knowledge it would become difficult for organizations to keep up with the competition and antagonism in the global markets. The sharing and integration of knowledge in organizations can drive innovation and increase productivity. Hence, the management of knowledge is a new imperative leadership as it has now become a valuable asset.