New England is no stranger to long, cold winters. In 2018 we had 3 powerful Nor’Easters that crippled homes and businesses for weeks. Your business data is critical to operations. Your CRM contains every contact you need to do business, close sales, and market your products. Your employees’ computers contain ongoing projects and are essential to daily operations. All of your business’ tech contains the data you need to get things done. So, as a business owner, how do you protect your most valuable asset during bad weather?
There are many ways you can protect your business data when facing bad weather. Datasmith has gathered 3 easy ways to make sure your data stays safe when the weather gets tough:
Back-up, Back-up, and Back-up
Are you running an automatic data back-up service? If not, you should be. There are many programs that work in the background to back-up your data. These services will create a carbon copy of your business data and store it in a safe location. The easiest back-up services to use are cloud-based. They will store your business data in a secure, separate location. Datasmith recommends using Axcient. Datasmith has been using Axcient disaster recovery and back-up for several years now.
If you business is physically damaged by bad weather, services like Axcient can spin up a carbon copy of your business in a matter of minutes. Virtually eliminating any down time from damaged hardware. Also, if your business loses power, you will have the absolute latest copy of your data available.
Power Down Systems
If you know your business is in an area at risk of losing power or physical damage power down your IT systems. Powering down will protect your equipment from a power surge or damaging electrical problems. If you power down make sure you have the latest back up available should equipment become permanently damaged.
Here’s a quick list of how to prepare hardware for bad weather:
- Log off and shut down your computers at the end of the day.
- Turn off monitors, printers, and any other electrical device within your office.
- Unplug computers, telephones, printers, fax machines, and other electronic equipment from electrical outlets.
- If prudent, take measures to move computers away from windows and doorways. Do not cover equipment that is plugged in or powered on.
- Place portable computers, laptops, or tablets, in a secure location.
- If you have external hard drives, we recommend that they be placed in a secure location.
Establish Out of Office Communication
If you fear that area connectivity will go out (loss of internet, cable, phone service) establish out of communication. Set up an automatic message that will let customers and vendors know your business may be experiencing damaging weather. That way you will not miss any important business connections. For important business operations, establish a secured cell phone to direct critical business communication to until repairs are made.
Mother Nature doesn’t have to cripple your business. The first step in preparing your business for bad weather is protecting your business from potential damage. With the right tools and systems in place, you can prevent costly down time. Contact Datasmith to make sure your business is protected from the storm.
