Is Your Network Hurricane Ready?

With hurricane season ramping up, it is crucial that you have all your files backed up, your team prepared and your systems secured.

We have been hearing about recent cyberattacks that result in power outages, but you may not have thought of the vulnerabilities to your company’s data if there is a power outage because of a hurricane.

Most companies have large databases with their consumers’/clients’ sensitive information (financial data, credit card numbers, social security numbers, health records, etc.). You want to make sure that data is in a secure location, preferably off site.

What are some precautions you can (and should) take to prepare for hurricane season?

1. First, make sure that you have detailed IT policies and procedures in place in the event of a power outage or flood. Not only do you have to think about your equipment and data, but also about your employees. Once power and your network is back who will run the operations and from where?
2. Does your company use virtual desktops, content archiving, or file sharing? As long as these are secure networks, you can manage them from a home office in the event that you can’t access your physical office. If you have a managed service provider (MSP), ask them about setting this up so that you can get back online as soon as possible following a hurricane.
3. Lastly and MOST importantly, have a remote backup. Unfortunately, hurricanes have the power to physically destroy an entire building and everything inside. The ONLY way to completely protect your data and guarantee that you can restore it all after a major disaster is by maintaining an up-to-date copy of your data offsite in a high-security facility. Remote backups (also called offsite backups, online backups, or managed backups) are a service that allows you to maintain a secure copy of your data in a different location than your office.

Want to be sure you have all necessary policies and procedures in place? Valeo Networks offers a FREE Network Assessment (A $250 Value) to all companies, which includes a Data Security Analysis. Contact Valeo Networks at 800-584-6844 or via sales@saalexIT.com anytime.