While NYC Steps Up Security For The Big Game, Small Businesses Should Do The Same

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Jan 30, 2014, 01:45 ET

NEW YORK, Jan. 30, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- With the Big Game drawing near, security is getting beefed up around Manhattan – something New Yorkers are becoming accustomed to. Akiva Goldstein, founder and President of Onsite In 60, says NYC business owners need to learn to take note of heightened security, and use it as a cue to check their internal security.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140130/NY56086)

NYC Security. (PRNewsFoto/Onsite In 60) (PRNewsFoto/ONSITE IN 60)

"When the city in which your business resides increases security, you should be assessing the security of your technology," said Goldstein. "I know that business owners must sense the heightened security – the increase in blue uniforms, the mysterious absence of garbage pails on the city streets – but I don't know if they internalize it." He adds, "They should."

Goldstein said that when NYC raises its security, NYC businesses should take that as a sign to test or implement disaster recovery plans.

"If an area such as NYC increases security during particularly vulnerable times, shouldn't companies align their own technology security in the same way?" Goldstein asks. "If you are doing business in an area that is considered 'high risk,' have you taken into account the fact that electricity, Internet and phone lines are more susceptible to outages? What would be the repercussions to your business for any amount of downtime? Are you prepared?"

Goldstein has seen first-hand the repercussions for many small businesses over the last several years when NYC has been hit multiple times with outages – some with advance warning, some without. Many companies were forced to close over unpaid insurance claims after the Northeast Blackout of 2003, which affected an estimated 55 million people in the US and Canada. Businesses suffered financial losses estimated to be near $30 Million in 2007 when a NYC steam explosion caused the police department to establish a "frozen zone" over a several block radius and kept thousands of workers from their offices. And of course, in 2012 Superstorm Sandy caused widespread damage and evacuations to all parts of the tri-state area. According to businessinsurance.com, more than two-thirds of private-sector insurance payments for Sandy-related losses will go to businesses.

"Many business owners take a conservative approach and would view this as overreacting," Goldstein says. "Superstorm Sandy is 'once in a lifetime'. But they fail to consider that it doesn't take a superstorm to cause irreparable damage to their business. Small, unforeseen disasters have a tremendous impact on a business."

Another misconception is that there is a high cost associated with creating and implementing a disaster recovery plan. If you have a trusted IT Provider, they have probably already offered various affordable plans, with different RTO (Recovery Time Objectives) and RPO (Recovery Point Objectives) options to cater specifically to your business needs and budget. This should include no loss of data, and, if extenuating circumstances do arise, only pre-approved measures would be taken to minimize downtime and lost productivity.

If you don't have a plan, now is the time to make one. Being unprepared can lead to a loss in revenue, projects, clients, or even an entire company. According to the Insurance Information Institute, 25% of businesses do not reopen following a disaster.

"During Superstorm Sandy I worked with several companies who were stricken by the fact that they had no plan," Goldstein said. "We came in with our tech support and relocation services and these companies continue to use these services to this day. Imagine carrying a server down 19 flights of stairs with only a flashlight! We did just that for one of our clients." Located in downtown Manhattan in a true disaster area after the storm, Stevens Carnell LLP was afraid to sustain any downtime. Onsite In 60 was there to relocate that server to their secure and redundant Data Center and the company was back in business in just a few hours. And when the power went out at their new location, they never missed a beat since the redundant plan was already in place.

Onsite In 60 offers Starter Disaster Recovery Plans for businesses with as few as 10 users, up to full automatic failover Satellite Offices for companies with 100-500 users. They make use of various hardware and software applications across data centers local to New York, as well as across the country utilizing the Terramark Data Center Environment (A Verizon Company). They can be reached at 1-877-467-4989, http://www.onsitein60.com/solutions/disaster-recovery or [email protected].

Contact:
Akiva Goldstein
1-917-306-9763
[email protected]

SOURCE Onsite In 60