Offline Backups
The ability to run offline backups is restricted to Org Admin and/or Entry Point Admin roles. The offline backup feature requires a standard or enterprise plan.
Offline backup is a feature of ProcedureFlow that allows organizations to ensure that ProcedureFlow processes are available to employees 7/24/365. Each entry point (group of flows) can be exported anytime into a single read-only HTML file that is completely traversable by end users (to see an example see an offline backup for the Rubik’s Cube flow: https://procedureflow.com/rubikscube). The Offline Backup HTML file can be stored on your local network (or other storage device) to ensure that flows are available in Internet outage situations.
1. Ensure offline backup is turned on
To test if Offline Backup has been enabled for your organization, you will need to work with someone who has Org Admin access to your ProcedureFlow account. Once you are logged in with an Org Admin permission level, click Administration > Entry Points > [select any entry point]. Under the Manage section on the left, if you see Offline Backup as an option, the feature is enabled for your organization. If you do not see the Offline Backup option, please contact help@procedureflow.com and one of our customer service reps will assist you.
2. Select a role/person to own the backup process
You will need a role/person in your organization to own the backup process. This person will be responsible to run the backups on a regular basis and store the backups in a location where the right people can access them. It could also be good to ensure you have a succession plan if that person leaves the role and a backup person if the person is out of the office.
3. Choose a backup frequency
The offline backup is a read-only file. It is a point-in-time snapshot of your current processes. If your processes change, you will want to run a new backup. Each organization has its own rate of change that would dictate the frequency of backups. For a normal inbound call center operation, we would recommend a minimum backup frequency of once a month. Some operations may choose to run backups more often if there are a lot of changes going on in the organization.
4. Choose a backup location
In the event of an emergency requiring the use of the offline backup, the HTML file needs to be accessible by employees. The most common type of emergency is a loss of Internet access (preventing access to https://app.procedureflow.com). Assuming that local network/intranet access is still available, a good location for the offline backup HTML could be a local file system (x:\BackupFiles\ProcedureFlow) or a trusted file repository application. Please work with your local IT team to determine the best offline storage solution for disaster recovery and contingency planning.
5. Create a contingency team and process
Once the offline backup HTML file has been stored for access in emergency situations, you will need a team, and process, to point people to the HTML file when an emergency happens. When an emergency occurs, the team will communicate with the employees to show them where the HTML file is located and how to access it. They will also direct employees back to https://app.procedureflow.com when the emergency is over.
Often IT teams will be contacted when employees loose access to ProcedureFlow. To better partner with the IT helpdesk, it can be a good idea to create an offline backup document that can be shared with the IT team outlining what ProcedureFlow is, what offline backups are, where they are stored and key contacts for communications. Here is a sample document.
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