| Is your business ready for hurricane season? Review this checklist
PLAN: Take a few days and plan how your company will react to a hurricane
threat, watch, warning, landfall and recovery. Review the plan frequently.
"The hurricane response plan … must be a living and breathing document,"
said Paul Madden, director of crisis management at Keiser College.
GENERATORS: A portable, 7,500-watt unit can power lights, computers
and a small air conditioner. A 30,000-watt unit (starting around $10,000)
can power a retail store with no refrigeration, notes Americas Generators
in Miami. Most need a transfer switch installed by an electrician.
SUPPLIES: Water, foodstuffs, batteries and other stocks will be needed.
Withdraw cash from the bank, and encourage employees also to have cash
on hand.
COMMUNICATIONS: Expect landlines might be down following a storm.
Lease satellite phones to ensure phone service. VoIP, or voice over Internet
protocol, service can be accessed from any Internet connection anywhere,
noted Keith Kramer, executive vice president of STS Telecom. Ensure
contact with employees with services like Contact911.com, which forwards
calls or e-mails to a selected contact list.
EMPLOYEES: Create a contact plan for employees. Home and cellular numbers
should be distributed to executives or senior managers. Set up a toll-free
number for employees to call in to check the status of the business.
INSURANCE: The building, its contents and interrupted business each
can be protected with various policies. Consult your agent to learn your
needs, available plans and specific coverage.
COMPUTERS AND TECHNOLOGY: All computer data should be backed up, either
to a CD-ROM, tape drive or portable hard drive and removed from the premises,
or backed up to a Web-based backup solution (LiveVault.com, BackUp.com
or IronMountain.com, among others). CPUs should be unplugged, wrapped in
plastic, and stored away from windows. Back up or digitize paper files
with services like Arkiva.com, DocuBlue.com and Communityio.com, among
others.
CREATE A "BLACK BOX": This briefcase or waterproof box should include
corporate documents, backups of critical computer files, insurance folders
and other vital business records, Madden said.
GET HELP: Head online to get planning guides from Office Depot (www.officedepot.com/getprepared)
and the Small Business Administration (www.sba.gov).
About STS Telecom
Established in 1994 as a long distance provider servicing the Florida
community, STS Telecom is a nationwide VoIP service provider. Through relationships
with Cisco Systems and Level 3, and capitalizing on cutting edge industry
leading hosted IP solutions, STS Telecom provides a full suite of software
based communications products and services including voice over IP applications,
dependable discounted local phone service, long distance service, as well
as Telephony hardware.
STS Telecom is not affiliated with BellSouth® or any other telephone
company. STS Telecom serves Broward, Miami-Dade, and Palm Beach Counties.
For additional information about STS Telecom, visit http://www.ststelecom.com. |
