When disaster strikes, even the best business models will face considerable disruption. And when critical business functions—such as print-to-mail services—are at stake, it is essential to have a reliable disaster recovery plan. In these situations, you can depend on Mail-Gard® to ensure delivery of your critical business documents, keeping compliant and solvent.
The Impact of Hurricane Milton
In early October, Hurricane Milton approached Florida as “an extremely dangerous category 5 hurricane,” according to the National Weather Service. By the time it made landfall near Siesta Key on October 9, 2024, it was predicted to cause major damage throughout most of the state. Despite being downgraded to a category 3 storm, the impact to east central Florida was significant. Hurricane-force wind gusts and an outbreak of at least 19 confirmed tornadoes damaged many homes and businesses, downing trees, and power lines. Rainfall of 10 to 15 inches led to severe, localized flooding in these areas.
Preparing for the Threat to Critical Communication
In preparation for Hurricane Milton, the Mail-Gard team immediately shifted its production from a Monday – Friday schedule to a 24/7 operating schedule to meet any potential customer needs during this crisis period. This included expanding the schedules of the operations team, data programmers, and account managers who worked day and night to ensure seamless execution of our clients’ disaster recovery plans.
The Mail-Gard team tracked the storm’s path and identified four key Florida customers who may potentially need disaster recovery services. The team then reviewed these customers’ disaster recovery plans and reached out to them to prepare before the potential disaster hit. Of those four customers, two ended up calling the Mail-Gard 1-800 number with disaster declarations and one required emergency assistance.
From a production standpoint, these declarations resulted in 1,123,811 images and 506,207 packages produced during the event on six different types of production platforms.
100% Delivery—100% Customer Satisfaction
Mail-Gard met all expectations and worked with the customer to mirror their print to mail process at our facility. The emergency declaration resulted in 100% delivery of critical communication pieces for our customer. And, equally important, the customer was pleased with the results of the declaration and provided positive feedback.
The Hurricane Milton response also shines a light on why we conduct thorough advance testing with each customer. This helps us to become more familiar with the ins and outs of their print-to-mail processes and better partner with our customers during any potential disaster recovery event.
Trust Mail-Gard to See You Through Any Disaster
Mail-Gard offers critical communications recovery for businesses in several regulated industries. A pioneer in print-to-mail disaster recovery services, we have had a 100% success rate for declaration support since 1996. We maintain a fully-secure, dedicated recovery facility and a range of technical solutions, delivered by seasoned employees, to ensure business continuity. We review disaster recovery plans for each customer and conduct our Proof-of-Concept testing to ensure that we are well versed in your print-to-mail processes.
Whether it is a natural disaster, an operational recovery due to downed equipment, a cybersecurity threat, an employee work stoppage, utility failure, or even a scheduled equipment update, you can count on our immediate support.
Visit mail-gard.com or contact us to learn more about Mail-Gard and disaster recovery planning.
