Recent tropical storm Alberto made everyone realize that the hurricane season is indeed upon us. Today, Internet connectivity is of vital importance to most small businesses. When they lose that connection, they can lose thousands of dollars in profit. The following is a series of tips from satellite broadband provider Hughes Network Systems, LLC on how small businesses can stay connected during a hurricane.

• Have a back-up generator and plenty of batteries on hand. Maintaining electrical power will be a top priority for small business owners. Without electrical power, you will not be able to support your Internet connection.
• Subscribe to a back-up high-speed Internet service, such as satellite broadband, so your inbound e-mail, product orders and other business critical information can be redirected to a secondary network should your primary network fail. This is a great option if terrestrial networks, such as cable and DSL, are not available. In order for satellite broadband to work, you must have electrical power (hence the importance of the back-up generator). Note that dial-up options like Netzero or Netscape will not be available if terrestrial networks are down.
• Purchase service from a VoIP provider. In the event of a telecommunications outage, you will be able to forward your calls to any number in the United States and maintain communications with customers, suppliers and loved ones. In the event that you have to relocate, you can rest assured that you will not miss any important business calls.
• Prepare and protect critical data. Evaluate which applications and data are essential, such as accounting documents, inventory logs and perform backups in a timely manner and store the data in a safe, secure and dependable facility. Since data may be lost due to flooding, consider storing data in an off-site location.
• Keep at least one corded phone connected to a wall jack to ensure that your business has telecommunications service in the event of an electrical-only outage.
• Do not hesitate to go on alert. If you believe you are in jeopardy of losing service for an extended period of time, put your web hosting provider on alert and find out what plans your provider has in place to support your business and data during the disaster.

According to a survey conducted by Hughes of small businesses located in the Gulf Coast region, 37 percent of those surveyed were without broadband service for more than five business days after Hurricane Katrina and 25 percent of those businesses reported losses of over $25,000 due to their lack of Internet connectivity.