Are you prepared?

This time last year, we were all recovering from the effects of Hurricane Irene.  Fortunately, Hurricane Isaac didn’t have the same impact.  Winter storms are ahead of us.  September is National Disaster Preparedness Month.  The threat of fire, flood, severe storms, water damage from office sprinklers—and even theft—is very real.

One of the most valuable assets for any company is its data.  Hardware and software can easily be replaced, but a company’s data cannot! As a reminder to all of our clients, here are some simple things you should do to make sure your company is ready for any natural disaster.

1.    Back Up Your Data Remotely! Everyone knows that data should be backed up on a daily basis, but many people still use in-house tape drives that will get damaged in a natural disaster or fire, and can easily be stolen. We recommend backing up all data to an offsite location, and we offer this as a service to our clients.

2.    Use A Quality Surge Protector With An Uninterruptible Power Supply Battery. A high quality surge protector combined with an uninterruptible power supply battery backup will go a long way in protecting sensitive electronic equipment from surges and other electronic irregularities that can destroy your computer’s circuitry.

3.    Make Sure Your Servers Are Off The Floor. If your office is flooded, having your equipment off the floor will prevent it from being completely destroyed. Server racks can be purchased and installed very inexpensively.

4.    Have A Disaster Recovery And Business Continuity Plan. Every business should have some type of plan in place for continued operation after a disaster. Would people know where to go? Who to call? How to log in and access data remotely? Hopefully you’ll never need it, but having a simple plan will let you sleep a lot easier at night knowing you have a way to continue operating when disaster strikes.

If you need help in any of these areas, give us a call. The BEST medicine is an ounce of prevention, and we can put together a simple IT Disaster Recovery Plan that would minimize your chances of experiencing extended downtime, data loss and other expensive disasters.