Are Your DR Plans Up To Date?
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At least if you live in South Florida, and maybe any other part of the state, they should be. Hurricane Wilma is heading for Florida and could have a major impact on businesses over the next few days.
Actually, in all likelihood, it should already be having an impact. After Florida got hit last year by a few hurricanes and the Katrina disaster this year in New Orleans, I’m sure many companies have already changed their plans and learned a few lessons. And many of them are probably already active.
That means moving backup tapes far from Florida, maybe activating some plans to open your business elsewhere Monday morning, and above all, at least I hope so, ensuring that your people are being taken care of. Since the IT guys are probably working a touch harder over the next two days to ensure you have backups and systems are prepped for disaster, you are asking them to put your company ahead of personal preparations.
That’s a tough choice. Go to work and help them or stay home, put up plywood, make arrangements to move your family somewhere, or whatever you feel is necessary. To me it’s an easy choice. Family comes first and I can always find another job. ‘Course, maybe that’s one good reason for me not to move to Florida (despite Andy’s constant begging).
This is a great place where companies can really show that they value their employees. Part of those DR plans, at least in someone that is in danger every year like Florida, should include a way to help employees prepare and cope personally, especially those people that you ask to work extra hours to get ready. Maybe even task some less busy employees with things that could help your IT guys: book hotels in GA for families, or purchase plywood and have it delivered, or move it yourself. There’s any number of things a company could do to help.
For those in Florida, our thoughts are with you and best of luck with the hurricane. And hopefully no major damage occurs and no one is hurt.
Steve Jones
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Boy I hope someone in my wife's company reads this! They have their data center in Florida. Having been through a Hurricane (Fran) in NC - this is truly EXCELLENT advice!
We often forget to tie up these kinds of things...
I wasn't born stupid - I had to study.
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I think I got hit by Fran. Was that ten years ago? I was in High Point and one killed power to the downtown area overnight when the hurricane came up through Alabama and into NC
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OMG! Was it that long ago? I am getting old...
I was in Raleigh, (250 miles inland) and it whalopped us! We had over 100 big oak trees down. Took weeks just for initial clean up. Then years of chain sawing every weekend. I could not find my driveway, right outside my house. Very, very wierd experience...
Fortunately a preacher down the road let us come over and shower and fed us some warm food. It was really a spectacle...
I wasn't born stupid - I had to study.
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Actually now that I think back it was probably 98 or so, maybe 7 years ago?
Strange. Came down from Va Beach on a business trip, never thought about the hurricane until I woke up with basically no power in the city.
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Tell me about it. When I first moved there, my family would call whenever a hurricane came near N.C. I would tell them I live 250 miles inland - they never hit us....
Never say never!!
(I think one of the wierdest side-effects was, we did not see or hear a bird or squirrel for weeks...) I wasn't born stupid - I had to study.
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