Business Natural Disaster Survival Guide: Building Fire or Flood

With the devastating fires in California this month,  every business has to prepare for the worst. Those that don’t may never fully recover from a disaster. But not all disasters are created equal. And not all businesses are at risk for every kind of disaster. That’s why we’ve put together this quick Disaster Survival reference guide to help you ensure that your business can keep operating even if a natural disaster strikes. 

BUILDING FIRE OR FLOODING

Description: Fires or floods within an office or building can range from small incidents of short duration to the complete destruction of the facility. 

Potential impact: Even a relatively small fire/flooding incident can have a very disruptive impact on a business. For example, a small fire in an office on an upper floor can result in the complete flooding of computers and telephone systems in the offices below as the building’s sprinkler systems kick in and firefighters seek to extinguish the blaze. Similarly, even a relatively limited amount of water leaking from a broken pipe or valve can put some or all of a business’s technology infrastructure out of commission. A large fire, of course, can force a business to have to relocate all of its operations temporarily or permanently. 

Risk factors: There are approximately 100,000 commercial building fires in the U.S. per year, according to the National Fire Protection Association. Those at highest risk include manufacturing facilities, as well as offices located above or in proximity to restaurants because cooking is a primary cause of non-residential structure fires, just as it is in homes. 

Warning times: Water damage from failed plumbing, sprinkler systems, etc. can short-circuit electronic equipment with zero warning. However, building alarm systems typically give employees a few minutes to shut down critical systems and evacuate the premises. 

A large fire, of course, can force a business to have to relocate all of its operations temporarily or permanently.  

Technology Continuity: 

As noted above, the severity and length of business disruptions caused by fires and flooding can vary considerably. 

To be prepared for extended or permanent facility damage, businesses should: 

• Maintain continuous off-site backup of data, applications, and server images. 

• Have arrangements in place for re-routing incoming calls to an alternative site and/or to employees’ mobile phones. 

• Prepare an emergency posting for the company website that can be activated immediately and progressively as the consequences of the event unfold. 

Prepare an emergency posting for the company website that can be activated immediately and progressively as the consequences of the event unfold. 

People Continuity: 

Because building fires and flooding only affect individual structures (or, at worst, just a few adjoining ones as well), businesses impacted have a lot of options for keeping people productive. Business Continuity plans should include: 

• Arrangements in advance with a nearby shared/furnished office space provider, hotel, college, or other facility for an immediate/temporary operations command center. 

• Next-day workspace provisioning in another company facility, emergency failover “cold site,” or at home personal desktops/laptops with appropriate call forwarding. 

• Internal communications for keeping employees updated on resource availability, recovery status, etc. • Any necessary third-party contracting for shipping/receiving, mail processing, duplicating, etc. 

Process Continuity: 

Again, because building fires and flooding are highly localized, they typically only disrupt processes that touch a single company location. Business continuity plans therefore need to provide for alternative locations and means to perform actions such as: 

• Answering phones

 • Processing orders 

• Issuing invoices 

• Signing checks 

• Filing reports required by regulatory mandates 

Businesses may also seek policy provisions that address work done from home or other locations while the facility is under repair (and/or a new location is secured) as well as business losses that may occur despite best–effort BC planning and execution.

Insurance Considerations: 

A properly insured business should have a policy that covers the expenses above, in addition to the physical damage directly caused by the fire or flood. Businesses may also seek policy provisions that address work done from home or other locations while the facility is under repair (and/or a new location is secured) as well as business losses that may occur despite best-effort BC planning and execution 

Don’t steal… It isn’t nice and makes you vulnerable to security hacks

Don’t steal. It isn’t nice. And… it makes you extremely vulnerable you security hacks if you “steal” software packages. Smaller firms often will use unlicensed software packages to save money. This is especially true if they only need a program for a specific task. Aside from the legal and ethical issues involved here, there is a very selfish reason not to do this. Software providers are constantly sending users updates to their programs, and those updates aren’t just about features. They include fixes to security holes and protections against specific new viruses that have been discovered. So, the longer you have an old, outdated software program on your PC or laptop, the more vulnerable you become. Is it really worth saving $200.00 when your entire business’s IT infrastructure could be put at risk? We suggest not.

VoIP: A money saving solution for your company’s technology backbone

When small business managers think about their IT infrastructure, they think about their employee’s mobile devices, cabling, Wi-Fi, laptops, a printer, and Internet connectivity. These are the basics of their IT infrastructure. However, there is one other aspect of a modern corporate IT infrastructure and that is an internal phone system that can connect “voice” over the internet, rather than traditional copper wires. Once upon a time, every office had an internal phone system that connected to the world via wire/cable/fiber. That wire/cable/fiber then connected a person in your office to a person somewhere else via the local phone company and a long distance carrier. And they did it for a per minute fee. And a very high per minute fee if you called internationally.

A VoIP phone system eliminates the phone company’s per minute connection, sidestepping them and running the voice call over the Internet. 

Talk to NetDirXions about this money saving addition to your firm’s technology backbone.

Cybercrime: In-house protection that only YOU can provide!

From the political world to the corporate, all we hear about is hacking, hacking, hacking. Everyone gets hacked, data is stolen, etc. So, the cry goes up for better security protections for everyone’s data. Firewalls, virus software, etc., etc., etc.

Want to know one of the best ways to protect your data? Train your employees to stop opening any emails or links unless they absolutely know they are safe. Scam emails that try to trick you into opening a link to a bogus site, or worse, trick you into providing your password or ID for a known site are exceptionally effective ways for hackers to get into your internal system and compromise data. Yes, ransomware is a serious issue, and malware is out there, but employees naively opening phishing emails remain one of the biggest risks to data security. Talk to your employees on an on-going basis and provide training and tips on how to ID phishing scams

SAFETY McSafer Says.....Update!!

One thing smaller firms and individuals are often reluctant to do is download updates to their operating systems and individual apps and programs. Why? Well, because it takes time and you have to reboot the device. Other reasons are a fear that the newest update will have a bug and cause problems. The perception is that it is better to wait a few weeks. Finally, there is a fear that anytime you update a program or OS, something always starts acting weird.

All of these may have a certain legitimacy. Even procrastination has its defenders. But why should you download updates ASAP? Because they are not only about new features and a new gadget – they include patches to security issues that have been identified. One of the easiest ways to protect yourself from hacking malware and other nefarious online viruses is to always update your software. Do it the day the update comes out, because it may be released specifically due to the discovery of a brand new malware or ransomware hack.

Everyone talks about security. Be the person who acts. It is easy.

With Ransomware, The ONLY Cure Is Prevention!

It just keeps showing up in the news. Ransomware seems to just not come to an end. If you haven’t heard, ransomware is a particularly nasty virus that freezes access to your data and then demands a ransom, usually in bitcoin. The worst thing about it is that once you are hit, there is almost nothing you can do. There are only 2 options: don’t pay the ransom and lose your data, or pay it. There is no “downloadable” fix. You are stuck. With ransomware, the ONLY cure is prevention.

In the case of ransomware you need to be constantly updating your data and securing it in isolation from your network. Even then, if your backup system overrides your older data each time it backs up, you can actually save the virus if it has infected your system at the time of the backup. To make sure you are as protected as you can be, we strongly recommend you contact a technical security expert to consult on the best way to protect against ransomware and other security hacks.

Humans Cause So Much Trouble.....In the Cyber World!

Have you been focusing on software packages and anti-virus tools to protect your data from hacking? That may not be enough, because it overlooks one of the biggest causes of security breaches. All of the security software and expertise in the world is useless if you or your employees don’t remain vigilant about their behavior as it relates to hacking scams and data security. Human error remains the biggest cause of security breaches and data loss at almost all companies, large or small.

We just can’t remind you enough that you need to develop a culture of security among all of your employees. Changing passwords frequently, not sharing passwords, and learning to recognize and avoid opening nefarious emails are the top three lessons you need to reinforce with your employees. And don’t make it a once-in-a-while memo, make it part of your office culture, with ongoing reminders, links to articles explaining phishing scams, and routine reminders to change passwords. 

The Most Boring Tech Topic...Ever! Office Phone Systems!

Yes, today’s blog is about office phone systems. You have one. They are dull, necessary, and no one wants to deal with them. They need to be re-configured for new employees, they’re confusing, and the telco lines probably cost you more money than you’d like.

Like everything else, office phone systems began transitioning to fully online/digital well over a decade ago. The proper term is “ Voice over Internet Protocol” or “VoIP.” In a practical sense, it means that your phone lines are no longer coming in over traditional, “plain old telephone” lines, or other standard protocols from the 1960s to the 2000s. Instead, voice signals are now being carried to your phone from the telco via the internet, such as your broadband connection.

Why do this? There are a few simple benefits.

1. You cut the higher landline charges, especially for international calls
2. Old fashioned systems are becoming obsolete, and parts aren’t available
3. You don’t need 2 separate cabling systems anymore. One for telco, one for internet is no longer necessary.
4. They rely less on hardware to do the job, so reconfiguring for a new employee or a major office shift is much, much easier. It is now a software change, not a hardware issue.
5. Your employees are no longer tied to the phone at their desk. VoIP allows integration with mobile devices.

This is just a quick summary, but it gives you a starting point for understanding why most firms are moving to VoIP systems and abandoning the old traditional PBX.