One of the worst disasters that can strike your servers is a natural one. That’s why you need to be extra prepared when you know a hurricane is on its way.<\/p>\n
Without a proper plan in place, you risk hardware damage and permanent data loss – putting the future of your business in jeopardy. Here’s what you need to do.<\/p>\n
This should be a regular business activity regardless, but it’s especially important when a hurricane is on its way. Sending your most vital data to a public or private cloud destination – one far away from the weather event – is a must.<\/p>\n
If you don’t have that option, you can back it up and send it off site physically, then retrieve it after the storm passes.<\/p>\n
Backing up your data both onsite and offsite is a great strategy not just for hurricanes, but for fires, human error, and ransomware attacks. If one of your storage locations is compromised, you always have another copy stored elsewhere.<\/p>\n
Make sure the windows near your IT systems are extra secure with plywood, if you can’t relocate them. This is typically the case with networking devices, servers, and sizable printers.<\/p>\n
Despite your best efforts, high winds may enter the building anyway. That’s why you need to anchor your heavy, rack-mounted IT hardware just in case.<\/p>\n
Make sure your hardware is secured above flood height and move them to safe areas. That way, if water makes it into the building they will remain mostly undamaged.<\/p>\n
One feature many devices have is the ability to automatically power back on after an electrical outage. This is a problem, because if they power back on and water is present, this can cause a damaging electrical short. To prevent this, manually power them down or disable this restart feature.<\/p>\n
It is best just to shut down all computers and unplug machines during a hurricane, even if this means a temporary loss in service continuity. Unplug your Ethernet cables from computers and docking stations.<\/p>\n
Before the hurricane hits, grab your insurance information and evaluate your inventory. Have a camera or a charged smartphone to take before and after photos to document potential damages.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Do you live in a hurricane-prone area? Whether it’s for current or future disasters, here’s how to ensure your business continuity.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":11197,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[710,634,711],"class_list":["post-11189","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-disaster-prep","tag-featured","tag-hurricane"],"yoast_head":"\n