5 things to do before the storm.
- Shutdown your computers and disconnect the power & network cable
- Set up an auto-responder on your E-mail
- Back up important data
- Unplug & turn off your battery backup systems
- Cover computers near windows with garbage bags in case water gets in
Shutting down your system
The most important thing before any major storm is to shut down your computer system. This helps protect it from an abrupt power outage. However, often overlooked, is other office systems. Such as printers, network drives, VoIP phones, network equipment, and yes even security cameras. All of these devices have chips in them that are vulnerable to surges in power. Try to take it a step further where possible and disconnect these devices from the wall. Disconnect them even if they are plugged into surge protectors. Additionally, it is good practice to disconnect any network lines from computers, printers, and phones. Network lines are made of copper and under the right conditions can carry a harmful surge.
Create an out of office reply on your E-Mail
Sometimes not everyone we do business with is being affected by the storm. It’s always a helpful reminder to alert them to a possible delayed response due to the current weather conditions. A short autoresponder reminding them their business is important and will be tended to as soon as your back in the office is a helpful tool to not come back to customers wondering where you have been.
Backup any important data
The computer is unplugged we are safe, right? Unfortunately, hurricanes pose much larger, physical, threats. Some areas may flood, or a tree may come down. Ask yourself if I threw my computer in a pool, or ran it over with a car, would it be okay? Because what may happen during a storm is unpredictable, backup any files you could not live without. Keeping the files on a thumb drive or external storage you can take with you is a great way to do this. The best practice is to back them up to the cloud. A lot of my customers use Back Blaze as an offsite backup service. Although, emailing them to yourself, dropping them in Dropbox, or pushing them on to iCloud will accomplish this same end result.
Disconnect and turn off battery backup systems
This may sound crazy but hear me out. The number one thing I get calls for after a hurricane is: “My systems are beeping or will not turn on!” The batteries in your backup systems are usually Flooded Cell or Lead Acid batteries. These are much like the batteries in your car. Once they reach a level of depletion they need a jump to get them going again, but oftentimes they will die altogether and need to have the cell replaced. They are not carried locally and often need to be ordered in, so getting your systems back online once the is restored power may be delayed. To prevent this unplug the backup battery system from the wall. It will start to beep. Locate its power button and press and hold it about 3-5 seconds. You will then hear a long beep. When you release it should no longer be beeping. This means it is powered down. This will reduce the chance of draining the battery and should leave the cells charged for when you return to the office to reconnect everything.
Cover your computers with garbage bags
We cannot be serious?! But, we are! If a window breaks your system may not have much protection from the elements. A garbage bag may not save your monitors or your computers, but it is worth the shot. In the event rain gets in the garbage bag may save the system from getting waterlogged. The bag may also blow off; however, barring what there is to lose, it is definitely worth a shot.
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