Business Continuity Planning for Miami Businesses: Surviving Hurricane Season

If you own or manage a business in Miami-Dade, Broward, or Palm Beach County, hurricane preparedness is not optional it is a core business function. The 2024 hurricane season was a reminder that South Florida businesses cannot rely on luck. The businesses that recover fastest from storms are the ones that planned before the storm formed.

Before Hurricane Season (Now Through May)

Audit Your Backup Systems

• Verify that all critical business data is backed up to a geographically distant cloud location (NOT a local NAS or external hard drive in the same building)
• Test a full restore from backup this is the most important step and the one most businesses skip
• Confirm your Recovery Time Objective (RTO): how long can your business operate without its data and systems?
• Document all backup locations, credentials, and restore procedures in a physical document kept off-site

Build Your IT Emergency Contact List

• Your managed IT provider's emergency line (Simple Network Solutions: (786) 383-2066)
• Internet service provider emergency contact
• Cloud platform support numbers (Microsoft, Google, AWS)
• Hardware vendor contacts for emergency replacement
• Insurance carrier for cyber and equipment claims

During a Hurricane Watch or Warning

• Initiate an immediate, manual backup of all critical systems do not rely solely on scheduled backups
• Document and photograph all IT equipment for insurance purposes
• Safely power down servers and unplug equipment from power strips (surge damage is a major cause of IT loss)
• Enable remote work capabilities for all employees who can work from home or an evacuation location
• Move any portable critical equipment (external drives, important devices) to a waterproof container

After the Storm: IT Recovery Steps

1. 1Assess physical damage to hardware before powering anything on water and electrical damage can cause fires
2. 2Contact your managed IT provider immediately for priority support and assessment
3. 3Begin restoring from cloud backup to either your existing hardware (once cleared) or temporary devices
4. 4Communicate with clients and vendors as soon as possible many will be understanding if they hear from you proactively
5. 5Document all losses for insurance claims within 72 hours of returning to your office