Here are some very crucial steps to take in order to prepare your business for a hurricane
Hurricane Ida was a category 4 storm that struck several parts of the United States, this year in August and September. Experts estimate the damage close to 95 Billion $ which makes it the costliest hurricane to ever strike the US. As a business, you must be fully prepared to minimize your own losses when such a natural disaster strikes. Here are 5 steps that can help you prepare your business for a hurricane.
Follow The 3 P’s
- A business that is facing an imminent hurricane threat must adopt the 3 P’s which are Plan, Prepare, and Practice. The first step is to devise an action plan regarding the necessary steps to be completed by both employees and staff. This includes step-wise measures such as evacuating from the office, taking essentials with you, and assembling at a designated meeting point.
For the second step, a business must decide when it should start auto-backups of its critical data and how to turn its office systems offline. If there are physical drives that backup data, then preparations are required to shift them to a secure location. The last step involves practicing this plan so that it can be implemented perfectly on the day of the disaster. The business must work out any glitches and should not leave anything to chance.
Ensure Data Is Backed Up
- In terms of hurricane readiness, an automated and efficient data backup is of the utmost importance. Under normal circumstances, a business usually backups its data fortnightly or on a monthly basis. However, when facing a disaster a business must prioritize backups.
For any business, data is its most valuable resource. Loss of data results in losing money and revenue for the business. It also results in losing customers and large-scale operations disruptions. Having an encrypted cloud backup will allow the business to access its data remotely from any location in the world. If the situation allows, the business can resume working off-site.
Storm Proof On-Site IT Hardware
- If the business has on-site servers & other IT hardware and it is difficult to move them to a secure location, then a better strategy would be to stormproof the office premises.
In the case of a hurricane, it is advisable to disconnect all power sockets from the mains. The main switch of the electrical system must be set off. Windows must be boarded and doors should be sealed. If there is time, then remove all glass panels and doors as shards of broken glass can destroy the equipment. Make sure to have everything at hand, so that when disaster is imminent these plans can be set into motion.
Promote Remote Working Practices
By utilizing cloud backups, a business can resume working remotely and cause minimum downtime to its customers. Remote working can be a viable option while the business conducts safety checks of the office premises.
By utilizing Remote working can enable employees to minimize service disruptions, and as a result, the business would be safe from losing a lot of money.
Develop Pre-Emptive Recovery Plans
- Instead of waiting for the disaster to strike, the business must devise a pre-emptive strategy and plans for disaster recovery. A pre-emptive strategy allows the business to take care of certain things in advance, and plan for negative outcomes by minimizing risk.
A pre-emptive plan also helps a business to work out all the bugs in its plans, thus helping it get on the road to recovery sooner.
If you are worried about preparing your business for a disaster, contact us at 973-638-2722. We, at Outsource My IT, are a professional cyber security and data management company operating in New Jersey. Our experienced professionals will help your business prepare for a natural disaster and take care of all your data backups.
