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Satellite view of Louisiana with hurricaneNo one likes to think about disasters, but as business owners we know it’s important to prepare for the worst. Afternoon storms are a trademark of Louisiana summers, and a calm soak can quickly turn into a devastating event. The heat of summer in the south produces hotter sea surface temperatures that transport moisture off the land, equating to increased levels of rainfall. As we all know, flash floods are a constant threat and the word ‘hurricane’ can push any Louisianan into a state of panic.

As the threat of summer storms looms large, gaps in your disaster recovery solution can put your business at risk. Are you prepared for an eventual disaster?

At iConvergence, we are always thinking of ways to help business owners mitigate the risks associated with Gulf Coast natural disasters. From working with customers to create comprehensive disaster recovery plans, to selecting and working through the implementation of advanced technologies that help to avoid network downtime, our goal is to provide businesses with the tools necessary to protect data and disaster-proof critical IT systems.

We’ve got a few tips to help your business prepare for our region’s toughest season:

Plan for the Worst, but Expect the Best
Creating a plan for the eventual disaster is important no matter where you are, but in Louisiana, having a Disaster Recovery Plan (DRP), or Business Continuity Plan as its sometimes known, is a matter of business survival. There are two objectives when it comes to creating a disaster preparation plan: to minimize downtime and to prevent data loss. Our recommendation is to take stock of everything that your business requires to function and consider what level of data loss and downtime you can withstand while still remaining operational. Identify what is important for your business and work with IT to develop a plan that supports your benchmarks. When you are prepared for the worst, you can expect the best possible outcome for your business despite unfortunate circumstances.

Monitor and Modify your Plan when Necessary
Your Disaster Recovery Plan isn’t etched in stone and should be viewed as a living, breathing, flexible document that can and should be updated frequently. Monitor and modify your plan when necessary to assure the components are successfully implemented and be proactive in its continued maintenance to guarantee fewer IT issues and decreased downtime when a disaster occurs.

Update your Network Architecture
Large ominous thunderstorm cloud formation and lighteningUpdating your existing network architecture is critical to the successful implementation of your disaster recovery/business continuity plan. Legacy systems can be a hindrance to your business in a number of ways and this is especially true when it comes to disaster recovery. Legacy IT systems can leave your business open to cyber vulnerabilities and the increased risk of unexpected operational failures. Outdated technologies are also a limiting factor in your team’s ability to innovate. When it comes to disaster recovery, legacy systems require costly and robust data backup and retrieval products while newer, hyper-converged systems have layers of redundancy built-in and can provide significant cost-savings for your business. Updating your architecture will ensure your business gets back up and running quickly in the event of a disaster and at the same time will free up dollars for important business initiatives.

When disaster strikes, it’s important to have a fully realized, well-tested and targeted disaster recovery plan to keep your business operational. At iConvergence, we have the tools, knowledge and resources to help you prepare for the worst and to ensure you are back to business-as-usual with little to no downtime. Summer in Louisiana should be about relaxing and enjoying time with family and friends, not being paralyzed with fear because of the threat of natural disasters. We’d like to help liberate your team from the worries that come part and parcel with our hot and humid Gulf Coast summers.

For additional information, check out our guide for creating a DR Plan for data protection or get in touch with us, we are always happy to chat about Technology – its what we do! We will be there to help you weather the Data Storms in your organization.