As I write this I’m watching chaos rule the streets of cities across America. We were all shocked to witness the public execution of a defenseless victim on an American street. With quarantine tensions already straining civil order, it’s no surprise to me that this was the flashpoint that blew the lid off.  If your organization finds itself in the path of evil, be it through physical destruction or from a cyber attack originating oceans away, basic survival of your organization boils down to some key principals.

First and foremost, you must protect your staff. We have several clients in affected cities across the country, and most of them shut down the past couple of days. DO NOT put your staff in harms way. 

Second, ensure your critical data is backed up. You should/must be using a business disaster recovery solution. This is a next-generation survival and recovery backup process that may be your only answer to physical destruction, a ransomware attack, or whatever other calamity is in the queue for 2020. Prices of these devices vary dramatically. We can help you with the right solution and ensure it’s implemented in a HIPAA compliant, ransomware fortified manner. Click here to watch our short video and learn more.

Third, last on our shortlist is your physical infrastructure. It’s obvious to me you cannot rely upon law enforcement to protect your physical assets. If your physical footprint is vital to your organization, then hire a security force to protect it. If you dispense medications at your facility, you have a responsibility to protect those drugs. Either remove them from the premises and get them to a safer, more remote location or guard them with professional security. We also recommend alerting local law enforcement of what is inside your facility. As we’ve seen over the last few days, a locked cabinet or a steel safe is not going to be enough. I am not advocating standing guard on your own, even if you’re capable of rendering lethal force. Be with your family, they need you more.

It’s difficult not to get caught up in the tragedy of what’s happening. My point is to encourage you to position your organization for survival in the event of a disaster. We may not be able to stop whatever 2020 has in store for us next (good God, what’s next), but we can certainly be prepared to survive it. 

I wish I could say it’s refreshing to discuss something other than Covid-19.  Be safe. We will get through this together, despite what it looks like now. 

Wishing you peace,
Jeff Mongelli – Founder
Acentec / HIPAA Security Suite