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Hernando Today

Some Companies Still Won't Prepare For The Worst

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By TONY HOLT

Hernando Today

Published: June 23, 2008

SPRING HILL - When a hurricane steamrolls through a community, one-fourth of its businesses will be ruined to the point of no return.

Unless current trends change, owners and managers will not have the resources or know-how to reopen.

A portion of those who attempt to revive their businesses will close down within two years.

Those statistics, released by Hernando County Emergency Management, are due to companies' decision not to implement a readiness plan in preparation for a natural or manmade disaster.

Hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, blackouts and data breeches are only some of the possible crises all business owners might want to consider.

"We want to make businesses aware that security is an important issue," said AT&T spokeswoman Gretchen Schultz.

Earlier this month, AT&T released the results of a survey that showed one in five businesses across the country still do not have a plan in place. More than 30 percent do not consider disaster preparedness a priority.

Security is more than merely installing an alarm system and locking the front door, said Schultz, who e-mailed the survey results to Hernando Today.

Wherever there is data, there should be a backup system, she said. Any plan should be extensive, and should include everything from record storage to emergency numbers for employees.

"It is important for businesses to be prepared," Schultz continued. "Create a business continuity plan and update it regularly. Have drills ... Taking the necessary steps before a disaster can help to ensure that companies can function and reopen after a disaster."

Any business of 10 or more employees should consider having two backups - one local and one out of state, said one Spring Hill business owner.

Maurice Ryman owns and manages Complete Technology Solutions. The company does Web hosting and spam prevention for an array of clients, many of which are based in Hernando County.

Five years ago, Ryman had backups for all of his clients, but kept the data nearby.

"A client asked me, 'What if we all get leveled?'" he recalled. "I realized he was making a good point."

Since then, Ryman set up a system that automatically sends backup data to a server more than 2,000 miles away, in a secluded area far away from any hurricane warnings.

"If their property is damaged, chances are, our property is going to be damaged," he said. "If we're talking hurricanes, your backups should definitely be out of state."

There are systems that can automatically send data to a far-away server each day or each week.
Ryman also maintains local backups for his clients in case of an isolated disaster, like a structure fire.

Reporter Tony Holt can be reached at 352-544-5283 or wholt@hernandotoday.com.

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