IT Centre
03 443 5499Are you prepared?
Many of you may have felt the moderate 5.5 magnitude earthquake centred close to the Queenstown Lakes district over the weekend.
If you were anything like me, the next 10-20 minutes was spent thinking “am I prepared?”
These gentle reminders from mother nature trigger us to think about disaster recovery plans at home, but have you thought about technology disaster recovery and continuity plans for your business? What could you stand to lose?
At IT Centre we are here to help, we have strategies to minimise the risk should anything go wrong. Having a backup, stored in a different physical location, is a fundamental step to disaster recovery that can help you restore lost files. In doing so, if your computer was destroyed, your files and important documents would still be available. From such ‘uh-oh’ moments like accidentally deleting your family photos to larger scale disasters, back-ups can help prevent a lot of heartache and stress. You will also want to be assured that any backup plan will work, that the data is verified, and you know how you will access it.
Business Preparedness
IT Centre has many options that can help a business prepare for the worst-case scenario. We can advise on how to reduce your risk of data loss and how you can get back up and running as soon as possible.
With all things IT, the risks you are dealing with are not just local threats. Disaster recovery can cover natural disasters, cyber-attack, hardware failure, malicious software, sabotage, the list goes on. As we are so reliant on technology in our businesses and personal lives, mitigating the risk is the first step in being prepared.
Preparing for cyber-attacks can be as small as running up to date anti-virus and anti-malware applications. If anyone call’s requesting access to your computer, this is a good reason to be suspicious. Recently there has been an increased number of social engineering attacks, where people call under the guise of Spark/Vodafone or your bank (ASB/ANZ/BNZ) and talk you through some common trouble shooting steps to have you drop your guard and start providing access to personal files. Just remember that any suppliers of a service will not ask you for your password and should not require access to your computer. If you have any questions about these types of social engineering attacks, feel free to call IT Centre.
Disaster recovery and continuity planning – do you have policies and procedures in place to minimise down time for your business? How long can you cope with your IT being offline? IT Centre can help you identify steps that will ensure your technology is back online as soon as possible.
Having a backup is great but you will need to consider how you will access and use it in the event of any disaster. It’s going to be different for everyone, but we can help you come up with a solution that fits your requirements.
You may wish to consider spare computers, local backup copies (in case there is no internet access), and alternate locations for work. Think about the value of the data to your business and how much it would cost to recreate it. You should also think about the implications to your business if you are unable to access your IT systems. These factors can help you decide how much time and money to put into Disaster Recovery.
Personal Preparedness
Only you can prepare your family for a disaster as you know your needs better than anyone. Technology plays a part of personal preparedness. Ensure that your local computer is backed up and that your family photos and important documents are saved somewhere safe. Again, we have various options to sort this out for you.
Our Services
We offer a cost effective Managed Online Backup solution.
Contact
Click here to contact us and make a time to discuss this with us, or call us on 03-443-5499.
Other Resources and Considerations
For more information on the AF8 fault line, there is a great video in this link and modelling was completed in 2017 in this article.
The Otago CDEM (Civil Defence Emergency Management) have put together useful resources specific to the Otago region, follow the links below for more information
If you need to pack a grab-and-go bag, here’s a handy list on what to include
Civil Defence New Zealand has put together a handy resource website to make sure you and your family are prepared for a natural disaster.
Don’t forget that pets will factor into whatever your personal preparedness plans will require. Make sure you are prepared to look after your furry friends in an emergency.