Published: October 7, 2026 | Sources: Florida Division of Emergency Management, Ready.gov (FEMA) and CISA
A hurricane tests your IT three ways: does your data survive, can your people work while the office is shut, and does everything come back cleanly afterwards. This checklist covers all three for small offices in Southwest Florida. Do the first half in June, not when the cone is over Lee County.
Who this checklist is for, and who it isn't
It is for owners and office managers of small businesses and practices: a team of a few to around a hundred people, files on a server or in Microsoft 365, and no full-time IT department.
It isn't for home computers or large organizations with their own recovery site, and it does not replace life-safety guidance. Evacuation orders and re-entry come from your county emergency management. The Florida Division of Emergency Management is clear that if you stay in your business after an evacuation order, emergency responders will not be able to reach you during the storm.
How to back up business data before a hurricane
Start with an inventory. Ready.gov's IT Disaster Recovery Plan page begins there: list your hardware (servers, desktops, laptops, wireless devices), the software you need to run the business, and where your data lives. Then make sure every place data lives is in a scheduled backup, not only the server.
For the backups themselves, CISA's paper Data Backup Options sets out the 3-2-1 rule:
- 3 copies of any important file: one primary and two backups.
- 2 different types of media, to protect against different hazards.
- 1 copy stored offsite, outside your home or business.
In Southwest Florida, "offsite" should mean outside the storm's path, not the owner's garage two miles away. In a Cape Coral flood zone, a backup drive next to the server can flood with it.
CISA's #StopRansomware Guide adds two points that apply to storms too: keep backups offline and encrypted, and regularly test that they are available and intact in a disaster recovery scenario.
Is cloud backup enough?
Cloud backup is the easiest way to get your offsite copy. CISA's backup paper notes that remote backup can protect data against natural disasters and lets you reach it from anywhere with an internet connection. It also lists the catch: it depends on the internet, and you should check the provider's service agreement for how your data is protected.
Two cautions:
- Sync is not backup. OneDrive, SharePoint and Dropbox keep files in step across devices. CISA's paper warns that rolling backups "can silently propagate any corruption or malware" from the primary files to the backup. A sync service does the same with deletions and encrypted files. Keep a separate backup with older versions you can go back to.
- Restoring takes time. Pulling everything back over a slow or temporary connection can take far longer than expected. Find out how long a full restore takes before you need one.
How to test that a restore actually works
A backup you have never restored is a hope, not a plan. Ready.gov's IT disaster recovery guidance says to test the plan periodically to make sure it works.
A practical routine:
- Weekly: check that backup jobs finished. A report counts; silence does not.
- Before each hurricane season: restore a real folder and a mailbox to a separate location and open the files. If you run a server, restore it, or at least its key application, to a test machine.
- After any big change (new server, new software, an office move): repeat the test.
- Write down who checked, when, and what was restored.
Name one person to own this. If an IT provider runs your backups, ask to see the last restore test.
What to do with computers and servers when a storm is coming
When a storm is forecast to hit your area:
- Run a final backup and confirm it completed and copied offsite.
- Send laptops home with the people who use them, with chargers.
- Shut down servers and computers properly, then unplug them. Ready.gov's Power Outages guidance is to disconnect electronics to avoid damage from electrical surges.
- Get equipment off the floor and away from windows. Raise the server, network equipment and any backup drives as high as you safely can.
- Photograph equipment and serial numbers for insurance.
- Take the documentation: inventory, account numbers and your IT provider's contacts, on paper and on a phone.
If you plan to run a generator, Ready.gov says to use it only outdoors and at least 20 feet from windows, doors and attached garages.
How to keep working when the office is closed
The Florida Division of Emergency Management's Planning for Businesses page asks a question worth answering now: how would you manage your business if roads are closed and communication is limited? For IT, that comes down to four things.
- Email. Email in Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace keeps working when the office is dark. Email on a server in your building goes down with the power.
- Files and business software. Know which systems your team can reach from home and which only work on the office network. Test remote access from a home connection before the season, not on the day.
- Sign-in. Multi-factor sign-in should work on each person's phone, not on a desk phone or a token left in a drawer.
- Phones. Set up call forwarding or a mobile app for the main number, and check that voicemail reaches someone who is working.
Whether you are in Naples or elsewhere on the coast, plan for the office being unreachable for longer than the storm itself.
What to do after the storm
Safety first. The Florida Division of Emergency Management says to follow local emergency management on when it is safe to return. Ready.gov's Hurricanes page says not to touch electrical equipment if it is wet or if you are standing in water, and not to wade in flood water.
Once it is safe:
- Document damage before you move anything. The state's guidance is to photograph or video all damage before repairs and to contact your insurer promptly. The same page asks businesses to complete the state's online Business Damage Assessment.
- Do not power up anything that got wet. Have it checked first.
- Power up in order: the internet connection, then the firewall, then the network switches and Wi-Fi, then the server, then computers. Bringing the network up first means the server and computers find what they expect.
- Check that data opens: recent files, the accounting system and a few mailboxes, before you tell staff everything is back.
- Watch for scams. In CISA Warns of Hurricane-Related Scams, CISA says attackers target hurricane victims with phishing, posing as trusted organizations such as disaster-relief charities. It advises caution with storm-related emails, social media appeals and text messages. Verify any request by calling the organization on a number you already have. Also be wary of unsolicited "IT recovery" offers and vendors changing bank details.
Printable hurricane IT checklist
Before the season (June)
- ☐ Inventory of hardware, software and where data lives, kept on paper and on a phone
- ☐ Backups follow 3-2-1, with one copy offsite and outside the storm area
- ☐ A separate backup, not only file sync
- ☐ Test restore done and written down
- ☐ Email and key files reachable from home, tested on a home connection
- ☐ Multi-factor sign-in works on each person's own phone
- ☐ Main phone number can be forwarded to mobiles
- ☐ Contact list for staff, IT provider, internet and phone carriers, and insurer
When a storm is forecast
- ☐ Final backup run, completed and copied offsite
- ☐ Laptops and chargers sent home
- ☐ Servers and computers shut down properly and unplugged
- ☐ Equipment raised off the floor and away from windows
- ☐ Photos of equipment and serial numbers taken
After the storm
- ☐ Re-enter only when local officials say it is safe
- ☐ Photograph damage before moving anything; call your insurer
- ☐ Do not power up wet equipment
- ☐ Power up in order: internet, firewall, switches, server, computers
- ☐ Check that files, software and email open correctly
- ☐ Treat storm-related emails, texts and payment requests with suspicion
Where Onward fits
Onward Technology Solutions is based in North Fort Myers and supports businesses across Southwest Florida, including Fort Myers. For businesses on a managed plan, monitoring runs 24x7x365 and the staffed help desk is open Monday to Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM Eastern. A critical outage gets a response within two business hours after notification; that is a response time, not a repair deadline. Help after hours is arranged case by case, at extra charge and with no set response time, so do the preparation on this page well before a storm.
To check the basics, including backups and multi-factor sign-in, try the Security Basics Check or read about our security services. Our free IT assessment looks at your backups, remote access and whether recovery steps are written down.
Request your free IT assessment
Hurricane IT questions
How do I back up business data before a hurricane?
Follow CISA's 3-2-1 rule: three copies of important files, on two types of media, with one copy away from the office. Before the storm, run a full backup and confirm it finished and copied offsite.
What should we do with computers and servers when a storm is coming?
Run and check a final backup, shut the server and computers down properly, unplug them, and move equipment off the floor and away from windows. Send laptops home with the people who use them.
Is cloud backup enough on its own?
Cloud backup is a good offsite copy, but it depends on the internet, and a sync service such as OneDrive is not a backup because it copies deletions and damaged files too. Keep a separate backup and test restoring from it.
How often should backups be tested, and who should check them?
Check weekly that backups completed, and do a real test restore before each hurricane season and after any major change. Name one person to check; if an IT provider runs the backups, ask to see the test.
How can my team keep working if the office is closed?
Make sure email, files and phones work without the office: laptops at home, remote access tested from a home connection, multi-factor sign-in that works on a personal phone, and office calls forwarded to mobile phones.
What should we do with IT equipment after the storm?
Wait until local officials say it is safe to return. Do not touch wet equipment. Photograph damage before you move anything, then power up in order: internet connection, firewall, network switches, server, then computers, and check that your data opens correctly.