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HURRICANE TECHNOLOGY TIPS
1) HAVE A PLAN You may
lose people and/or power and/or computers and/or data and/or
programs. Have a plan, and make sure your staff knows what
it is.
2) BACK UP your critical
data off site or copy it onto a CD-ROM, floppy disk, data
stick, or laptop that you can take with you if you evacuate.
Practice back-up and restoration NOW!
3) PACK YOUR DATA along
with your water, flashlight, and batteries.
4) PRINT YOUR CONTACTS
-- all critical information -- for important business and
personal contacts, in case your computer or electric power
is unavailable.
5) RECORD YOUR USER NAME
AND PASSWORD for your email account as well as your incoming
POP3 mail server. This information can be used if you are
out of town to retrieve your email by logging on to an Internet
webmail server.
6) RECORD ALL YOUR
PASSWORDS Prepare and take your list of user names and
passwords for your Internet connection, router, modem, PC,
network, website, on-line billing accounts, etc. If you find
you need to relocate, you'll have that information with you
to access from an Internet Cafe or Public Library.
7) SECURE THE HQ and
be sure your machines are Log-On password protected, in case
you have to leave them behind and don't want anyone else getting
into them.
8) TAKE THE DISKS and
the license information or codes for all software programs
that are critical for your computing operations, so you can
reinstall the programs if you need to change to new hardware.
9) UPS GUARD units should
be in place -- storm or no storm. Plug your computers and
monitosr into Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) units to guard
against electricity spikes as well as loss of power. A UPS
can give you enough time to properly shut down your PC when
a storm threatens.
10) REMOTE SERVER CONTACT
If you store your data off-site, get in touch with your remote
server host to ensure that their list of Authorized Personnel
on your account includes anyone you want to be able to give
instructions or access the equipment.
Call us at 713-403-9150 if we can help!
QUESTIONS TO ASK BEFORE A MAJOR STORM HITS
- Do you have a backup generator if the power goes off
to your building?
- If the Air Conditioning goes off, will you have to turn
your servers off to avoid heat damage?
- Are your computers protected by surge protection or an
Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS)?
- Do you have your server connected to a UPS?
- Can your UPS sustain power to your critical systems for
over 30 minutes?
- Are you prepared to systematically shut down and turn
off your computer equipment to avoid power shutoffs?
- Do you have the information you need if the power should
go off for 15 minutes, and you don't have generator or UPS
protection in place?
- Are the running configurations in your routers properly
written to memory?
- Do you have all the passwords required to access your
server and your data if your systems shut down?
- Would a secure location with redundant Internet access
and backup electrical power serve your needs?
HOW CAN THE ALDRIDGE COMPANY HELP?
Dave Aldridge, President of The Aldridge Company, a local
IT and Internet Services firm, says, "Our clients can
rest assured about their equipment being available on the
Internet due to The Aldridge Company's Network Operations
Center power redundancy via UPS and diesel generator for backup
power generation.
"The brownouts that recently occurred in Houston are
of concern to all IT professionals and people who need their
computers in order to make a living. Electrical power surges
and power loss can adversely affect your computers and can
certainly make retrieving your data inconvenient at best.
Owners of all mission critical servers, especially in Houston,
should consider backup power due to weather-related power
outages."
If you have mission critical servers, servers needed
to keep your business going, or from which remote locations
access data, then your server needs to be located in a facility
that has backup power and alternative routes to the Internet.
If you are an Application Service Provider (ASP) ASPs
are relied upon by multiple businesses which access their
business application(s) from the ASP server. These ASPs need
their servers to always be connected to the Internet and obviously
to have power!!!
If your network is composed of multiple routers, switches
or other hardware with running configurations, and that
equipment's configuration was not properly saved, then the
power to your network may be critical. When the power goes
off, it may be necessary to reconfigure your equipment to
be able to access data on your network. The Aldridge Company
can review your network and your equipment to be sure configurations
are saved and that you are protected from the power going
off. Or (after the disaster occurs) The Aldridge Company can
reconfigure your hardware or host your hardware or routing.
If your office computers are not plugged in to UPSs,
then power spikes and power outages can affect the equipment.
Let us install, test, and replace the UPSs for your computers.
Call or email The Aldridge Company for a free hurricane preparedness
assessment and recommendations for your critical computer
and networking needs.
Call us at 713-403-9150 if we can help!
© 2008 THE ALDRIDGE COMPANY
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