Power outages. Ransomware. Hurricanes. They don’t send calendar invites, and they don’t care if your firm is “mostly backed up.” When disaster strikes, too many small businesses in Tampa Bay learn the hard way that backups aren’t the same as continuity.
Let’s talk about the difference—and why it matters for your business, your reputation, and your clients.
Why Backups Alone Aren’t Enough
Plenty of IT providers will tell you, “Don’t worry, we back up your data.” But here’s the truth: restoring files isn’t the same as staying operational.
If your office floods, servers crash, or you lose power in a storm, can your team still work? Can clients reach you? Will you meet compliance requirements? If you don’t have a plan, the answer is probably “no.”
What a Business Continuity Plan Should Really Cover
Continuity Is About Staying Open, Not Just Recovering
A strong plan answers real-world questions: - How fast can we recover? - Who leads the response? - What systems are mission-critical? - Can our staff work remotely tomorrow?
Must-Have Continuity Tools for Tampa Bay Firms
- Encrypted, off-site backups (not just local ones)
- Prioritized recovery timelines (what gets restored first?)
- Remote access plans for hurricanes or closures
- Disaster drills to test your readiness
Real Disasters, Real Consequences
From Clearwater to Sarasota, we’ve seen local firms sidelined by untested backups or missing continuity plans: - Hurricane Ian left some practices offline for 10+ days - A local CPA lost a month of client files to failed local backups - One advisor couldn’t serve clients for a week after a server failure—during tax season
Downtime isn’t just inconvenient. It’s lost revenue, lost trust, and lost compliance standing.
Ask These Questions Before Disaster Finds You
- If ransomware hits, how fast can we bounce back?
- Can our team work from home if needed?
- Are our backups tested regularly?
- Is our plan actually written down and ready?
If you’re unsure about any of those, you’re overdue for a continuity check.
Reef Cyber Security Can Help
We specialize in helping Tampa Bay’s financial and professional service firms build real, tested continuity strategies. It starts with a FREE Network Assessment.
We’ll review your current setup, identify weak points, and lay out a practical plan that keeps your business running no matter what hits.
