Does your organization still rely on old-school binders to manage its emergency response and continuity plans? If so, you are not alone. But, you are at a disadvantage. Paper-based plans are riddled with potential snags, and often produce less than stellar results. Just ask the planners who continually struggle to keep their operations’ plans current, accessible and actionable every day.

Automation, or more specifically, the use of online planning software, is a proven and viable solution to several long-standing problems. Consider these five key reasons to “ban the binder,” so your operation can better plan for and manage the unexpected.

1. Information sharing and collaboration – Emergency preparedness planning does not take place in silos. It requires great collaboration between multiple people, departments, external agencies, and others. It also involves the sharing of pertinent information on a continual basis. Unfortunately, the manual exchange of emails, documents, maps and other intelligence only complicates the plan development process, and increases the likelihood for error. Online planning software provides all stakeholders secure, 24/7 access to a single resource, where they can easily manage their individual portion of the plan(s), including the storage of essential documentation.

2. Time savings – A comprehensive plan is really a conglomeration of multiple mini-plans. Each has its own corresponding activities, personnel, facilities, etc. As such, precious time can be wasted while individuals manually scour printed tables of contents or indexes looking for the right piece of information. With well-designed online planning software, information is easily accessed and key elements can be searched electronically to uncover crucial information or instruction within seconds.

3. Security – Because of the sheer nature of these plans, it is imperative that