Back in May, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicted an “above-normal 2022 Atlantic hurricane season.” As of August and their mid-season update, they still expect it.

Here in Savannah, we’re used to storms not hitting until September or October. It is critical to prepare our businesses now. Don’t wait. Use these 3 key disaster recovery tips from local managed IT services provider Infinity, Inc. to prepare your company.

1. Update your employee contact information. Even if you have a plan or directory from last year, it’s likely that you’ve had some staffing changes. Make sure you have current employee contact details. * Ensure your staff knows who to contact, when, and how to get the info and updates they need in an emergency. Whether the official company channel is Teams, email, Slack, or scheduled Zoom calls, make this clear now when things are calm. * You can also find out who’s staying and who’s going in the event of an evacuation. This can impact how quickly you get back up and running after a hurricane.

2. Collect your critical external contacts. In the event of an emergency, you may have questions for your insurance agent, accountant, landlord or property management company. Depending on the compliance requirements for your business, you may need advice from your lawyer or regulatory agency. Pulling these all together, along with local emergency agency information, can save you time and stress.

3. Test your backups. Confirm that you have the backups you need, that they go back far enough to cover as much as you expect them to, and that they will work if you need to use them. Don’t assume. This can mean the difference between being back in business in hours versus days, weeks, or not at all.

When you have this information, you have 3 key elements of your backup and disaster recovery plan. If you already have a written plan, update it with this. If you don’t have a written plan, you’re well on your way with one now.   

Get more free resources online, including disaster recovery plan examples, at www.infinityinc.us as well as at ready.gov, sba.gov, and chathamemergency.org.