While it’s unlikely we will ever experience a hurricane in the Angola, South Bend, Fort Wayne, Toledo, or Battle Creek areas, we could have tornadoes and/or punishing storms followed by chaos and property damage. Below are some tips to keep in mind when the forecast turns dangerous.
- Contact your IT team to verify what is being backed up. Ask them to run a test backup and restore to confirm proper operation.
- Verify where your backups are being kept (local, online). Ask how you can access backed up data.
- Verify who to contact after the storm if restoration is necessary.
- Set up a call list with your staff, suppliers, and relevant vendors to ensure everyone is safe after the weather event. Include cell and landline numbers when you can.
- Pick up computers and all electronic or electric equipment from the floor and consider moving them to interior offices or storage spaces (bathrooms work!) Unplug anything that does not need to be plugged in to protect from power surges often associated with storms.
- Stow away all loose papers from your desks and floor so they don’t end up on the street if windows break.
- Take all insurance paperwork with you when you leave the office.
- Make working copies of essential data and documents needed to meet upcoming deadlines in the event you lose access to our server or online storage. Either print what you need or copy files to an encrypted USB drive.
- Note the exact versions of all of your critical software. You will need this information if you need to reinstall software or restore from backup. You can do this in two ways:
- In each program, go to Help, About. Take a screen shot of the entire window and print it or save it to a secure location.
- Download, install and run Belarc Advisor. Belarc will run a report in your web browser with all your hardware and software details. Print it or save it to a secure location.
Does This Seem Overwhelming?
Aptica will be happy to discuss disaster preparation with you. We believe it’s a critical part of your overall business plan, now that we all are so dependent on our electronic data. It’s part of our “Let Me Help You” series of real computer tips for your real business life.
Jason Newburg, 260.243.5100, ext 2001, is the founder and owner of Aptica LLC. This IT support and management company has been serving small to medium sized businesses for 15 years in the area that includes Angola, South Bend, and Fort Wayne, IN, Battle Creek, MI, and Toledo, OH.
