Hurricane IT continuity: a self-audit for Lee County
Around two in the afternoon, the point-of-sale system just went dark, and it stayed that way for nearly three hours, along with the coffee machine. You wouldn't see receipts being printed, so you wouldn't know how much money you lost. By answering seven questions about your own setup, you'll find the gaps and get a readiness score.
Why you need to act before hurricane season
Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through November 30, and that window is when you need to think about your systems. You do not need to wait for a named storm to take action. Once a system is named, you have roughly three days before it makes landfall, and that is the time you should be ready.
Where your server sits matters. If it is on the floor, you need to know how far off the floor it is and whether that location is in a safe zone.
Assess your current preparedness
Where is your server located, and how far off the floor is it mounted?
A machine located in a ground-floor suite is vulnerable to damage and displacement from storm surge.
Where is your backup copy stored, and how far from the server?
Storing both copies in one room means a single flood event will destroy them.
When was your last restore tested, and who witnessed it?
A backup that has never been restored offers a false sense of security and won't protect data in a disaster.
Who has custody of vendor logins and account passwords when the office is shut?
The keyholder must be reachable after evacuation to access systems.
If staff work elsewhere, what do they need on day one?
An off-site laptop cannot access data or systems remaining within your business's physical location.
Is any of this written down, and where does that document live?
If your continuity plan is only accessible on the same server it details, that plan is unavailable when the server is lost.
How many days closed can your business survive?
This figure shows how long you must function without external assistance.
Why these questions matter
Hurricane Ian made landfall at Cayo Costa on September 28, 2022, at 3:05 pm EDT with Category 4 winds of 150 mph. The forecast band for surge reached 12 to 16 feet from Englewood to Bonita Beach. That storm caused 150+ deaths and cost more than $112 billion, making it the costliest hurricane in Florida history.
According to a report by the Florida Bar, criminal defense attorney Danielle O'Halloran, of Ringsmuth Day and O'Halloran, described her office experiencing "14 inches of water, front to back," noting that other businesses on the same downtown street also experienced flooding. The water, roughly shin-height, forced Ms. O'Halloran to shred client files that were soaked.
The damage many businesses faced stemmed from choices made beforehand. Your building's location and how you stored important documents determined the severity of the impact. Some losses resulted directly from where and how things were situated.
How long recovery actually took
You might expect a business to reopen within weeks after a storm passes. The reality was different. The Small Business Administration opened Business Recovery Centers in Bonita Springs on October 5, 2022, and in Cape Coral on October 10, 2022. Those centers stayed open until February 28, 2023, and March 30, 2023, respectively. That is just under six months of support for Lee County businesses.
Many small businesses took longer than you would guess to get back to normal operations. Some needed months to replace equipment, restore data, and rebuild customer trust. The SBA recovery centers provided loans and resources during that extended period. Your own plan should account for a longer timeline than you might assume.
How you score
Count how many of the seven questions you could answer with confidence. Seven answers means you are ready. Five or six means you have a plan to close the gaps. Three or fewer means you need to act before the season starts.
A low score is a list of repairs to make. It is not a prediction about your business. We do not forecast what happens to you.
What to do about a low score
Start with the free Security Check at Security Check to see what your office shows publicly. Then review our backup guide for the rule that proves your copies are real. If you need hands-on help, our services team can close the gaps before the season.
What we can and cannot do
On site response faces a geographic limit that sharpens right after a landfall. Roads may be impassable, curfew may be in effect, and fuel may be unavailable. We cannot promise to reach several clients at once under those conditions. What we sell is preparation before the season, not rescue after it. The plan that works is the one that needs nobody to arrive.
FAQ
My business keeps everything in the cloud. Am I safe from a storm?
Cloud services can fail too. Power outages, internet cuts, and regional outages take down any provider. You need local access to your data and systems when the connection is gone. Keep a copy of your practice management database on a drive you control, and test restoring it before the season starts.
I already have a backup. Is that enough to survive a hurricane?
A backup is only useful if you can restore it. Automated monitoring tells you when a restore fails, not when you find out during a crisis. Test your restore process before the season, and keep your backup in a different location from your primary systems.
Will my cyber insurance policy cover hurricane damage?
Read your policy. Do not assume. Your broker knows what your coverage includes. Check with them before the season starts.
Should I wait until a storm has a name before taking action?
No. Once a system is named, you have roughly three days before it makes landfall, and that is the time you should be ready. Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through November 30, and that window is when you need to think about your systems. You do not need to wait for a named storm to take action.
Where do I start if I have never planned for a storm?
Begin by checking what your office shows the outside world. Review our backup guide to understand how to prove your copies are real. If you need hands-on help, our services team can close the gaps before the season.
Not sure what your practice is exposed to? The free Security Check is a one-page report on what your office shows the outside world, prepared without installing anything or touching a system you own. The backup guide covers how an engagement starts, and if you have concluded the problem is your current provider rather than your hardware, switching without losing a day is the one to read next.
About the author
Mario Del Mazo is the owner of IT First Response, a managed IT and security practice in Fort Myers serving Lee County, Florida. His background is corporate IT for a healthcare organization operating under HIPAA and HITRUST standards. He publishes his prices, and every client environment is documented so nothing has to be explained twice. More about Mario.