Will your IT survive today's storm?

5 days ago
2 min read

Today we're bracing for the third wave in a series of storms that's been impacting the island. The flooding has even reached our Manoa office, where several cars were totaled (see footage on Hawaii News Now). Right now is a good time to make sure that you're prepared for possible power outages, power surges, internet and communication outages and water damage.

The big question is: how can you make sure that your IT will survive today's storm?

The Takeaway

Here are my top 5 tips for what you can do right now:

Protect against power problems. Check to make sure that you're using battery backups and surge protectors for critical computers, servers, networking equipment and phones. Whatever you have plugged directly into the wall could fry when the power surges either before or after power is lost. In fact, I've seen systems fry even plugged into power strips so just to be safe, if there are any computers that won't be used today, just unplug them.
Prepare for internet and phone outages. Make sure staff know what to do if internet, email, or phones go down and have a backup way to communicate. If cell phones are your backup, then make sure that those numbers get shared amongst your teams.
Back up important data now. Unless your work files are 100% cloud based, double check your backups. Be sure that they're current, off-site and accessible.
Move equipment away from water risks. Keep computers, power strips, and important devices off the floor and away from windows or areas prone to leaks or flooding. Remember, your neighbors can get flooded too and then leak into your offices.
Have a shutdown and restart plan. Know how to safely power down systems if needed and who is responsible for bringing everything back online once conditions improve.