Are You Ready?

Are you Ready…?
Summer is coming to a close. Our kids are getting ready to go back to school. We are thinking about the last summer holiday, Labor Day which is fast approaching!
What is not on our minds (and should be) is that it is still hurricane season. Our second named hurricane, Danielle was just downgraded from a category 2 to a category 1 hurricane and will most likely turn in a more north-northeast direction.
Hurricane season in the Atlantic begins June 1st and ends November 30th. NOAA has predicted another 9 named storms before the season ends. Surely with that many possible storms, we will feel the effects of at least one before the end of the season.
So my question remains. Are you ready?
I can rattle off meaningless statistics about how we are due for a big one, but unless Fire Island is submerged and Freeport’s main street has 3 feet of water, we tend not to take notice or even think about what we might need in case we are hit.
So for all my readers, here on 516ads.com, I just say to you, when you have a moment, go to www.ready.gov and check out the information that they have there for you.
And like my buddies in the Fire Service say, you need to have a plan and practice it. So with Danielle most likely a memory, why not take a look at the sight and see what you need. In most cases, we will be just bulking up on commonly used items, like bottled water and batteries. In other cases, you will be surprised when you can’t find documentation that you thought was right there in your filing cabinet.
Let’s hope and pray that Danielle and her 9 friends all fizzle out and we can concentrate on our families and businesses.
But, let’s also make sure that ‘We are Ready!’

Rich Schierer is President & Founder of Make My Technology Simple, a full service Information Technology Solutions provider. He is a member of the local chapter of the Association of Contingency Planners.
If you have any questions or comments, please direct them to him at rich@makemytechnologysimple.com

Disaster Recovery Planning is not just for big businesses!

I was working with a client recently on their Disaster Recovery Plan. With all the storms that have been plaguing the island lately, it seemed the right time to get a ‘snap-shot’ of their business.

He was concerned that he would come to work one day, and find that a tree had fallen over and smashed into his building.

We talked about several major points that needed to be documented. They included but were not limited to:

Names, phone numbers of everyone, but especially the owner(s), CEO, CFO, all Managers

Contact information, policy numbers, etc. for the following business partners:

     Insurance reps

     Real Estate Agent [for finding a new location if necessary]

     Electricians, plumbers ,etc.

     Any public agencies that might come into play because of your businesses unique circumstances

All information regarding your computer & network setups.

Who holds the disaster recovery ‘box’ that contains all the information and their contact information in case it is not an employee.

The last nightly backups.

Spreadsheets containing all computer and equipment serial numbers, make, models, etc. Who to call to have this equipment to either replaced or repaired.

The list can go on and on.

The most important point is that if you ever pull up in front of your building and find that you can’t gain access to it, how do you get your business up and running in a new location as soon as possible.

How long can you afford to be out of business? 1 hour? 1 day? 1 month? With a good Disaster Recovery Plan you will know and you will know how to move forward when disaster strikes!