Less inconvenient, more incredibly disruptive: hurricane season is in full swing, and local SMBs are feeling the effects. To maintain business continuity in Houston during such turbulent times, companies need more than just physical preparations—they need to ensure their IT infrastructure can withstand the storm.
MSPs offer an array of services designed to protect your business and ensure it continues to operate in the face of extreme weather. Join us as we explore how SMBs can maximize the value of their MSP partnership and lay out which are the best MSP services for business continuity to prioritize during hurricane season.
Service #1: Comprehensive Disaster Recovery Plans
The foundation of any business continuity strategy during hurricanes is a well-thought-out backup and disaster recovery plan. MSPs excel at designing and implementing plans that ensure your business can power through disruptions caused by natural disasters.
A strong MSP-managed disaster recovery plan will be comprehensive, featuring:
- Automated backups: Your MSP will ensure regular, secure backups of your data are stored off-site, often in the cloud. This guarantees that, in the event of a power failure, flood, or storm damage, your critical data is safe.
- Fast recovery protocols: MSPs have predefined steps to restore systems quickly, minimizing downtime and helping businesses get back online as soon as possible.
- Cloud-based infrastructure: Shifting essential systems to the cloud not only protects your business from physical damage but also allows remote access, ensuring your team can keep working from anywhere.
MSPs can craft disaster recovery plans that are both cost-effective and tailored to your specific business needs, making sure that your operations can resume with minimal disruption, even during a major storm. For businesses determined to continue operating during hurricanes, this service is invaluable.
MSP Service #2: Remote IT Infrastructure Management
During hurricanes, physical access to your business premises may be restricted or impossible. Therefore, ensuring you can manage critical systems remotely is vital to maintaining business continuity in Houston.
MSPs offer support that includes remote monitoring and management of your entire IT infrastructure. They’ll make sure it stays secure and functional when your staff is working from home or another safe location.
As part of remote infrastructure management, you’ll benefit from:
- 24/7 network monitoring: MSPs can remotely monitor your network for issues, ensuring any potential problems are resolved before they become critical during a storm.
- Cloud-based operations: Migrating essential services to the cloud allows staff to access them securely from any location, which is key to operating when on-site access is restricted.
- System updates and patching: MSPs ensure all systems remain up-to-date, applying patches and updates remotely so your business is always protected from security vulnerabilities.
With constant oversight from an experienced team, local SMBs can gain confidence in their ability to stay up and running securely, even when their team is scattered.
Service #3: Cybersecurity Measures During Hurricanes
Naturally, hurricanes can lead to distractions—which is precisely when cybercriminals are most likely to strike. While you’re focused on physical safety and weathering the storm, hackers could try to exploit any vulnerabilities in your IT infrastructure.
MSPs provide industry-grade cybersecurity measures that ensure your digital defenses remain strong when your attention’s needed elsewhere. This critical service is part of the broader strategy to ensure business continuity in Houston, and looks like:
- Implementing multi-layer security: Firewalls, intrusion detection systems, and encryption ensure that your data is secure even when employees are working remotely or from mobile devices.
- Monitoring for threats in real-time: 24/7 threat detection ensures any suspicious activity is identified and neutralized before it causes damage.
- Running phishing prevention campaigns: Hurricanes are a prime time for phishing attacks, as employees may be more likely to fall for scams in times of confusion. CISA even recently warned users to stay alert for potential scams in the wake of Hurricane Helene. MSPs can provide ongoing training and deploy email filters to keep these threats at bay.
By outsourcing cybersecurity to an MSP, your business is protected from threats that could further disrupt operations during hurricane season.
MSP Service #4: Tailored Business Continuity Planning
When it comes to operating during hurricanes, circumstances are going to differ vastly from one SMB to the next. A one-size-fits-all approach to business continuity just won’t suffice.
Local MSPs know this, and often offer customized business continuity planning that reflects the unique needs and risks of your business. From safeguarding specific data sets to ensuring remote access for essential personnel, the professionals will help you prioritize what matters most.
Talk to them about:
- Assessing your specific risks: By conducting a thorough assessment of your IT infrastructure and understanding your operations, an MSP can identify the areas most vulnerable to disruption.
- Designing tailored solutions: Based on your risk profile, they’ll create customized solutions, such as cloud migration or enhanced disaster recovery protocols, to suit your exact requirements.
- Testing and refining the plan: MSPs—at least, the good ones—don’t just create a plan and leave it. They regularly test business continuity measures, ensuring they function properly and updating them as your business grows or new risks emerge.
This bespoke approach is one of the best MSP services for business continuity since it allows you to prepare in the best way for your SMB.
Handle Hurricane Season with the Help of Managed IT Support in Houston
For SMBs in Houston, hurricanes are an inevitable part of doing business—but that doesn’t mean they have to ground your operations. With the right MSP partner, you can mitigate the risks and ensure your carry on, even during the storm. From disaster recovery planning to cloud migration and 24/7 support, leveraging MSP services for business continuity allows you to stay agile, secure, and productive, no matter the weather.
Willits Technologies Inc: Reliable Managed IT Service Partners for Texas’ Professional Services
At Willits, we’re a growing family-owned business that combines accessible enterprise-grade solutions (at affordable prices) with a personal and reliable service, designed to help growing businesses thrive.
We’re dedicated to supporting SMBs in Texas and beyond through exceptional IT support and tailored solutions that help them to reclaim their time, lower costs, and drive profitable growth. By making the world of technology accessible and empowering, we act as a partner that they can lean on in good and bad times alike.
If you’d like to fortify your IT infrastructure for hurricane season, we’d love to help! Get in touch or come and see us in person.
