How to prepare for hurricane season: Essential business IT preparations
As the Spring sunshine gives way to the looming threat of hurricane season, businesses in coastal regions must ask a critical question: Is our IT infrastructure ready for the potential impact of a major storm?
At Atlas Professional Services, we understand the unique challenges businesses face in preparing for hurricane season, and we’re here to guide you through the essential steps to protect your valuable data and ensure business continuity.
The Timeline: Preparing for Hurricane Season
While hurricane preparedness should be a year-round endeavor, the springtime serves as a crucial period for focused planning and review. It can take several months to review and improve critical IT infrastructure, which is why we start preparations now rather than wait until May or June.
As we approach the official start of hurricane season on June 1, businesses often reach out with specific concerns and questions. However, taking a proactive approach months in advance ensures the infrastructure and processes are in place to respond to a storm quickly and effectively.
Year-Round Preparedness: A Proactive Approach
In the Spring, we strongly recommend businesses conduct an annual review of their IT disaster recovery and hurricane preparedness plans. This review should include:
- Redundant Power and Internet: Now is the time to evaluate the effectiveness of existing backup and redundancy systems. Consider implementing backup power solutions, such as generators or Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) systems, to maintain critical operations during power outages. Redundant internet connections are also key to minimize downtime.
- On-Premise Hardware Protection: If your business relies on on-premise servers and hardware, develop a plan for safe shutdown and relocation. Consider elevating equipment to mitigate flood damage or moving it to a secure, offsite location. This is also a good time to assess the feasibility of migrating to cloud-based servers for enhanced resilience.
- Robust Backup Posture: Whether you use on-premise or cloud-based servers, it’s important to ensure your data is securely backed up and readily accessible. We recommend you regularly test your backups to guarantee data integrity and recovery speed. Solutions like Datto are also available for rapid server recovery.
- Seamless Remote Work Capabilities: Now is a good time to establish or refine your remote work policy. This should include secure VPN access, cloud-based collaboration tools and clear communication protocols. Test your remote work infrastructure to ensure employees can maintain productivity from any location.
When a Storm Approaches: Essential Steps for Businesses
When a hurricane threatens your area, it’s crucial to activate your preparedness plan. Here’s a checklist of key actions:
- Identify Vulnerable Assets: Assess the potential impact of wind, flooding and power outages on your IT infrastructure and physical location.
- Customized IT Disaster Recovery: Develop a tailored plan to protect your critical systems and data. This may involve prioritizing essential services and implementing temporary solutions.
- Secure On-Premise Equipment: If applicable, safely shut down and relocate servers and other sensitive hardware to a secure, elevated location.
- Verify Backups and Redundancies: Confirm that all backups are current and stored offsite. Perform test restorations to ensure data integrity and usability.
- Activate Remote Work Protocols: Prepare for extended power outages by ensuring your remote workforce can access essential systems and data through secure VPN and cloud-based platforms.
- Establish a clear communication plan: Ensure all employees know how to communicate before, during, and after the storm.
Insight Beyond IT: Holistic Preparedness
While our focus is on IT infrastructure, we also recommend businesses consider broader preparedness measures, including:
- Establishing emergency contact lists and communication protocols.
- Securing physical office spaces against potential damage.
- Ensuring adequate insurance coverage for IT equipment and data.
Don’t Wait Until It’s Too Late
Hurricane season is a stark reminder of the importance of a proactive IT disaster recovery plan. By implementing robust backup solutions, establishing remote work capabilities and protecting on-premise hardware, your business can minimize downtime and safeguard valuable data.
By implementing these strategies, your business can navigate hurricane season with confidence, knowing that your IT infrastructure is prepared for any challenge.
Contact us today to discuss your specific needs and develop a comprehensive hurricane preparedness plan.
