The 2011 hurricane season is upon us, and it’s time to
ensure that your facility is prepared to weather the storm.
According to researchers from John
Hopkins and Texas A&M University, during
the last five major hurricanes, nearly 30,000 businesses and government
entities were forced to cease operations due to power outages and loss of
Internet connectivity.
The 2011 hurricane season is expected to be above normal
with an estimated 17 named storms and nine hurricanes -five of which will be
Category 3 or higher.
Businesses, facilities, buildings, and government offices
can expect to experience network downtime, impairing emergency response and
recovery efforts, disrupting business activities, and impacting the ability to
keep mission-critical operations running smoothly.
“Continuity during disasters is imperative for businesses
and government agencies," says Mike Cook,
senior vice president at Hughes Network Systems. "Broadband satellite
services provide network connectivity that continues to operate when
terrestrial networks -- including cell towers -- are severely damaged.
Incorporating satellite services into emergency planning and response
activities enables businesses and government agencies to maintain uninterrupted
Internet connections needed to facilitate disaster response and day-to-day
operations such as sending and receiving e-mails, processing orders, sharing
information, and checking inventory. We encourage businesses and government
agencies to follow our recommendations to ensure that they stay connected
during the hurricane season."
Hughes offers some tips to make it through hurricane season
with your operations unhindered:
- Have a back-up generator and plenty of batteries on hand.
Maintaining electrical power will be a top priority. Without electrical power,
you will not be able to maintain your Internet connection.
- Subscribe to a resilient, high-speed Internet service, such
as satellite broadband, so decision makers and emergency operators can stay
connected, as well as to ensure that your e-mail, product orders, and other
critical information can be maintained should your terrestrial network fail.
- Prepare and protect critical data. Evaluate which
applications and data are essential, such as Continuity of Operations
(COOP)/emergency response plans, accounting documents, inventory logs, and
constituent information; back up the information in a timely manner, and store
the data in a safe, secure, and dependable facility. Since data may be lost due
to flooding, consider storing data at an off-site location.
- Keep at least one corded phone connected to a wall jack to
ensure that your office has telecommunications service in the event of an
electrical-only outage.
- Do not hesitate to go on alert. If you believe you are at
risk of losing service for an extended period of time, put your Web hosting
provider on alert.
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