Texas is preparing for yet another hurricane season. While forecasters are not predicting higher-than-normal activity, meteorologists still call for 13 named storms, six hurricanes and two major hurricanes reaching Category 4 or stronger. In terms of percentages, analysts say there is a 63% chance of a named storm, a 38% chance of a hurricane and a 16% chance of a major hurricane hitting Texas cities.
Even in an average year, hurricanes, tropical storms and named storms can have a devastating impact, put lives at risk, and do billions of dollars in damage. Organizations should proactively prepare for possible business disruption and implement plans to keep working in case of power outages or other storm impacts.
A key to business continuity is a reliable and resilient business internet service in Texas and a business phone service in Texas that can withstand storms.
Preparing for Hurricane Season: Key Strategies
Here are the key strategies you should deploy now to protect your business. Ensure that your business internet service in Texas is resilient and has redundant systems. The best business internet providers will:
- Have fiber rings in multiple Texas markets.
- Have diverse Tier-1 internet peering points.
- Monitor network connectivity 24/7 year-round.
- Have Texas-based customer support teams and technicians standing by.
- Have redundant systems and backup generators.
These proactive measures can ensure the automatic rerouting of network traffic in case of disruptions, providing direct access to the internet rather than using third-party internet service providers.
Make Sure That You Are Using a Fiber Business Internet Service in Texas
If you are still using coaxial cable or copper wires, you need to switch to a fiber business internet service in Texas. Fiber is not susceptible to electrical interference during storms and is unaffected by water. Fiber lines are buried in the ground and protected. Unless they are severed, fiber will keep delivering high-speed business internet.
Fiber works when the power is out as long as there is continual power at your provider’s location. Ensure that you are working with a fiber internet provider with redundant power sources and backup generators in case of outages.
During recent hurricanes near Houston, LOGIX Fiber Network customers had uninterrupted service, while other business internet service providers in Texas were down.
Prepare for Cellular Telephone Outages
You need to be able to communicate with your customers and employees even during a storm. Cell towers need power to operate, so if the power goes out, your cell phones are likely down as well. Hurricane Harvey knocked out telephone service to landlines at some 180,000 homes and 320 cell sites. Hundreds of cellphone towers were damaged in the storm.
If your business phone service in Texas is provided on fiber, you have a significantly better chance of maintaining voice services, even amid power outages.
Consider working with a business phone services provider in Texas like LOGIX Fiber Networks, which offers a hosted private branch exchange (PBX). A hosted PBX safely protects your phone system and data from physical harm caused by natural disasters. Cloud-based phone service and unified communications can continue working when on-site equipment or copper wiring fails. A hosted PBX can manage your business phone service and allow you to work remotely if necessary.
A cloud-hosted PBX can also store your data, which means that you can still access it even if your physical location is no longer working.
Back Up Data Often
Businesses should back up their data often to ensure business continuity. A cloud storage option or off-site colocation data center can make sure that you can access business-critical applications and data. Many businesses choose to have data replicated in geographically dispersed data centers to avoid any specific location disruptions.
LOGIX Fiber Networks operates geographically diverse data centers with redundant power sources to meet 100% service-level agreements, as well as backup generators, fortified facilities and multiple disaster-recovery options between select data center locations. LOGIX also provides direct connections to 80 third-party data centers, all on the largest independently owned fiber network in the state of Texas.
Choose LOGIX Fiber Networks
LOGIX has more than 300,000 miles of fiber in Texas, connecting 10,000 businesses and 3,000 enterprise buildings.
With a redundant and resilient core infrastructure, LOGIX Fiber Networks is built for business, ready to withstand severe weather threats and see you through the storms.
Contact LOGIX today at 281-688-6283, or request a quote.