As many of you know, Hurricane Lane is projected to affect our islands within the next few days. The current estimates indicate that we will start to see the effects of the system on Thursday evening/Friday morning. The most probable effect of the hurricane or weather associated with a passing system is a loss of power. Flood or wind damage is possible but not as likely. With this in mind, we recommend the following steps to safeguard your computer systems from loss or damage:

  1. Ensure you have good recent backups – Be sure that you last backup did not have any errors. If it did, run a manual backup and make sure it is successful. If you have a Standard Managed IT agreement with us, don’t worry. We have you covered.
  2. If you don’t have cloud backup, take a copy of your critical data off-site – In case your building floods or is destroyed, be sure you take a copy of your critical data to a different and resilient location. If you have a Standard Managed IT agreement with us, don’t worry. We have you covered.
  3. Shutdown all computers and servers when you leave the office on Thursday – Computers behave better when they are shutdown gracefully. In the event of a power outage, computers that are left on will shutdown suddenly and may be susceptible to corruption when they are powered back on.
  4. Unplug devices from the wall – Lightning can travel through outlets and fry computers. Be sure to unplug devices from the wall even if they are connected to a surge protector or UPS.
  5. Put any computer that is on the ground on a sturdy shelf or counter away from a window – In case of flooding, take any computers that are on the floor and put them somewhere safe. Keep them away from windows in case the windows is shattered and the elements come in.
  6. If your roof is susceptible to leaking, cover critical computer equipment with a plastic tarp – The heavy rains will penetrate roofs that are susceptible to leaking and if it leaks on your equipment, it will render it unusable.

Please take these and any other steps that you feel necessary to ensure the continuity of your business. However, please do not take unnecessary risks and remember that data and equipment can always be rebuilt. Your life and the lives of your co-worker and loved ones should ALWAYS come first. Please make them the priority and address these issues once they are taken care of.