Storm Season Is a Business Continuity Season
Here in Middle Tennessee, severe weather is part of life. Spring and fall storms, high winds and the occasional ice event can knock out power and internet service for hours or longer. For a small business, the weather itself is usually not the biggest problem. The bigger problem is being unreachable while customers are still trying to call, order or book.
I am based in White House, Tennessee, and I oversee managed VoIP, telecommunications and managed IT for small and medium-sized businesses at DirecTech Connect. Every storm season, I encourage business owners to prepare three things before the forecast turns: their internet, their phones and their data.
1. Plan for an Internet Outage
Most of what a modern business runs on depends on the internet: phones, payment systems, email, scheduling and cloud software. When the connection drops, a lot stops at once.
Consider a backup connection
A second internet connection from a different provider, or a cellular backup, can keep essential systems running when your main line is out. Many business routers can switch over automatically, so staff do not have to do anything.
Know what needs power
Your modem, router and network switch all need electricity. A battery backup unit on that equipment can keep the network up through short power blips and give you time to shut things down properly during longer outages.
Write down your provider details
Keep your internet provider’s support number and account number somewhere that does not depend on the internet, such as a printed sheet in the office and a note on the owner’s phone.
2. Keep Your Phones Answering
This is where cloud-based business phone service has a real advantage. Because the phone system lives in the cloud and not in a closet in your building, calls can still be answered even if your office is dark.
Set up forwarding to cell phones
Calls can be set to forward automatically to cell phones or another location when your office phones are unreachable. Set this up and test it before you need it, not during the storm.
Use the mobile app
Many business phone services include an app that lets staff make and take calls from their cell phones using the business number. That keeps your caller ID professional and your personal numbers private.
Prepare an emergency greeting
Record a short message in advance that tells callers you are open with limited service, or closed because of weather, and how to reach you. Know exactly how to switch it on from your phone.
3. Protect Your Data
Power surges, water and hardware failures are all more likely during severe weather. If your important files live on one computer or one server in the office, a single bad night can put them at risk.
- Use cloud backups. Copies of critical data should live off-site, so a problem at the office does not take your records with it.
- Test a restore. Pick a file and restore it. If nobody has ever done this, you do not yet know that your backup works.
- Move key work to the cloud. Email, documents and shared files in cloud services can be reached from home or anywhere else with a connection.
- Protect equipment. Use surge protection and keep critical equipment off the floor in areas that could take on water.
Build a One-Page Storm Plan
In more than 20 years of leading operations and delivery teams in technology, I have learned that the plans that work are short ones people can find. I suggest a single page that covers:
- Who decides whether the office opens, closes or works remotely
- How staff will be notified
- How to turn on call forwarding and the emergency greeting
- Support numbers for your internet, phone and IT providers
- Where backups live and who can restore them
Print it, share it with your team and review it at the start of each storm season.
Test Before the Weather Does
The best time to find a gap is on a calm afternoon. Unplug the main internet connection for a few minutes and see what fails over. Forward the main line to a cell phone and place a test call. Restore one file from backup. Each of those checks takes minutes, and each one could save a full day of lost business when the next storm rolls through Middle Tennessee.
📞 Call: 1-866-832-7117
👉 Visit: www.DirecTech.net
Related from DirecTech: business phone systems in Nashville and IT support in Nashville. See what DirecTech offers businesses in Tennessee. One provider, one bill. Call 1-866-832-7117 or get in touch.
