Storm-Proofing Your IT: A Hurricane Preparedness Plan for Business Leaders

When hurricanes hit, the biggest damage isn't always physical - your operations, data, and technology are on the line too.

Hurricane season can cripple unprepared businesses. Here’s how to protect your infrastructure, data, and operations before, during, and after the storm.

Hurricanes pose a major threat to business continuity. From power outages and network disruption to flooded data centers and displaced staff, one storm can halt operations for days, —or longer.

Preparation is critical.

IT Hurricane Preparedness Plan: 7 Steps to Protect Your Business

With hurricane season fast approaching, now is the time to ensure your business is prepared, not just with sandbags and flashlights, but with a solid technology plan that keeps your operations safe and resilient

At Global Data Systems, we help businesses create robust IT hurricane preparedness plans that reduce risk and protect uptime. Whether a small local company or a multi-location enterprise, the proper IT planning can keep your operations running smoothly before, during, and after a storm. Here are key steps to take before a storm hits:

• 1. Have a Technology Emergency Plan:
  Create a documented plan that addresses how to handle IT assets before, during, and after a storm. This should include system shutdown procedures, equipment relocation plans, communication protocols, and recovery priorities. Distribute it to your staff and review it regularly.

• 2. Ensure Backup Readiness:
  Maintain offsite or cloud-based backups with regular testing and validation. Back up data frequently, daily, if possible and test those backups to ensure they can be restored quickly and reliably.
  
  
• 3. Store Multiple Backup Copies:
  Keep copies of your company data both locally and off-site. This provides added protection if your office is affected by flooding, hardware failure, or power outages.
  
  

• 4. Plan for Remote Access:
  Ensure remote work solutions are tested and ready. VPNs, secure cloud platforms, multi-factor authentication, and remote desktop tools should be accessible and scalable to support your team if offices are closed or evacuated.

• 5. Understand Power Protection:
  Know the difference between power strips, surge protectors, and uninterruptible power supplies (UPS). UPS systems are especially valuable during outages, allowing for safe system shutdown and temporary operational continuity.

• 6. Protect Physical Equipment:
  Unplug devices during storms to avoid power surges. Elevate equipment where flooding is a concern. When possible, move critical hardware away from windows and off the floor. Take essential tech (laptops, external drives) when evacuating.

• 7. Set Clear Communication Plans:
  Establish internal and external communication protocols. Inform employees, vendors, and customers of operating statuses, emergency contacts, and remote work guidelines using multiple channels.
  
  
• 8. Partner with a Reliable IT Provider:
  GDS offers redundant internet connections, secure failover systems, cloud readiness, endpoint protection, and 24/7 monitoring. Our team helps you stay online and responsive no matter what the forecast holds.

Industry-Specific Impacts

It’s not just your servers at risk. Hurricanes test your whole business continuity and disaster recovery plan.

Hurricane readiness looks different for every industry. For example:

• Healthcare organizations must safeguard patient data and ensure continuity of care, including remote access to electronic medical records.
  
  
• Finance must maintain transactional integrity, secure customer information, and meet compliance obligations from regulators.
  
  
• Manufacturing operations need rapid restoration of equipment control systems, logistics platforms, and supplier communications.
  
  
• Retail & Hospitality businesses need to preserve customer data, POS systems, and reservation services even if locations are inaccessible.

Tailoring your preparedness to your sector ensures better outcomes and smoother recovery.

GDS Helps You Stay Operational

Don’t wait until a storm is announced. Build your tech resilience strategy now, review it regularly, and test all processes annually. Business continuity is a moving target, and GDS can help you stay ahead of it.

Let’s talk about how GDS can help your business stay secure and operational, no matter the forecast.

Go Beyond the Blog and Get Deeper Insights On Preparing Your Business

For deeper, more detailed insights on a hurricane preparedness plan, download our full Hurricane & Severe Weather Readiness Guide.

This comprehensive resource goes beyond the blog, offering step-by-step checklists, remote access planning, and expert strategies to help your business stay prepared and protected.

Benefits of Managed IT Services from Global Data Systems

• Strategic Managed IT: We help you solve your technology related business problems.
• Connectivity: We get you reliable, secure connectivity anywhere in the western hemisphere in 48 hours.
• Support: When you need help simply call our 24x7x365 support number.
• Billing: Instead of managing hundreds of vendors - get one, easy to read bill from GDS.

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