As a business owner, you know your IT system is the backbone of your operation. Unfortunately, not all IT disasters are strictly virtual like ransomware attacks. Are you ready for hurricanes, flooding and other disasters on Long Island? You can find out in this blog post!
Things happen – fires, floods, hurricanes, power outages – and they can all wreak havoc on your IT system and cause significant downtime. Here on Long Island, we are familiar with all 4. It’s important to have a plan in place to protect your data from disaster so that when something does go wrong you’re not scrambling to get back up and running.
How can an IT Company Play a Role in Natural Disaster Preparedness?
The best way to ensure your IT system is ready for emergency situations is to have an emergency backup plan. When a backup plan is created and tested by an IT company like CST, you can rest assured that it will work. When disaster strikes, you will be happy that you had a simple yet effective plan in place.
Your business may face emergencies such as floods; Hurricanes Sandy, Irene, and – most recently – Henri and Ida hit Long Island with different severities. Fire can also destroy your data in the event of an accident. Other disasters include blackouts, from wind, rain, heat wave, or someone simply crashing into a pole.
The benefits of having an emergency plan for your IT system include:
– Increased productivity when disaster strikes.
– Faster recovery time.
– Improved customer service, which will help to retain customers and increase revenue.
– Protecting sensitive data from being lost or stolen during emergencies
Where to Start
For business owners, preventing and responding to emergencies is necessary for growth. However, it can be confusing to determine what disaster recovery plan would work best for your level of business and how much money you want to spend on it. We all know the dangers that hackers pose to your business. But where do you start with natural disasters?
To start off, answer these four basic questions: How likely is an emergency? Do you have data backup in place? Will it be easy to recover data? What about the “human response” to disaster? And finally, have you tested your plans?
How likely is an emergency?
The first step is to identify the types of emergencies that could happen at your business. It is important to know how certain risks can affect your company and what should be done in preparation for them.
For instance: Depending on where you are located on Long Island, emergencies such as flooding can be more of an issue.
Do you have data backup in place?
Data backup is essential throughout your business. If a natural disaster were to happen at your location, not only would you lose all of your items, but you would also lose all your customer data. Data backups allow you to maintain information in case of emergencies so that it’s easily accessible when necessary.
Will it be easy to recover data?
Yes, having data backups is important. However, it’s equally important to have reliable access to those backups. In the case of a natural disaster, you need to have a reliable backup that can be accessed from any location. With CST’s disaster recovery plan, you will have a way to recover all vital data quickly and efficiently.
Do you have incident management in place?
Technology can be programmed to execute flawlessly. Automation of backups and recovery are fairly straightforward when you have an efficient plan in place. However, what about the human response to disasters? If you don’t have a sound incident management plan in place, the recovery process could end up costing you time and money. And with a disaster, both of those can be hard to come by.
CST suggests to all of our clients, whether on Long Island or in other locations, to have a step-by-step outline for employees. They will need to know what their responsibility is in terms of communication and steps for response to disasters.
Is Your IT System Natural Disaster Ready?
If you’re not already prepared for natural disasters, it’s time to take action. We know that IT is the backbone of your business. If you’re not sure if your business is ready for natural disasters, it’s time to do some research. You don’t want to be scrambling when the inevitable happens.
Luckily, it’s not too late. You can become disaster ready within a week or two with some preparation and the right strategies.