We’re getting plenty of calls from area businesses wondering what to do to prepare their computer network for Irene’s arrival this weekend. I’m sure that some of your readers might have the same question, so I’ve prepared 8 tips to help:
If you have a Disaster Recovery Plan already, pull it out, check to see if anything is out of date, and delegate tasks to employees within your organization.
Do a full backup of your critical information, and take this information off-site. If you have the time, store it in your bank safety box. If you don't have a safety box, take it home with you. Customers that use Inacom's Offsite Backup Service are already covered! If you want, you are welcome to use a Free Offsite Backup Trial. We can't guarantee all of your data will get backed up in time, but chances are good that we can take a Quickbooks file or My Documents Folder before the storm comes.
Power off your systems, and unplug them. This includes your servers, PCs, Routers, Switches, Wireless Access Points, Copiers, and Telephone Systems. Don't forget to remove the coax or telephone lines from your equpment - lightning damage coming from these lines is very common!
Move any systems that are on the floor or next to windows to a safer location.
If you can't afford to turn off important systems, make sure that you have them plugged into an Uninteruptable Power Source (UPS), and that the UPS is properly configered to shut down your system.
Wrap important systems in plastic wrap, and make sure that they are off the floor.
Place important documents in sealed, plastic bins.
Make sure that you have emergency contact numbers on you when you leave the office. (Inacom’s number is 410.543.8200).
To help ensure that area businesses can properly prepare for Irene and get up and running as soon as possible, we’ve made plans ourselves. They include:
Free Offsite Backup Trial Accounts – We can’t guarantee that an entire server gets backed up due to time and the offsite location’s Internet speeds, but we can easily accommodate small files like a Quickbooks database. A decent Internet connection should be able to get 5GB of data to us this evening.
Technicians available Friday evening into Saturday morning to help proactively shut down systems and prepare them for Irene.
Emergency Computer Support – 11 technicians have volunteered to work this Sunday once the storm safely passes by. Just call 410.543.8200 and leave a message in our Emergency mailbox. We’ll call you back right away!
Additional inventory – PCs, Servers, Telephone Systems, and Copiers are in-stock and ready to go where needed.
If If anybody calls us today for help shutting down their computer network, we’ll donate $50 per site visit towards your community causes. They just have to say they are calling because they saw our tips on Sby News and we’ll bring a check to your office next week.
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