Before the fire, the company’s IT environment was primarily on-premises:

• Jonas construction management software ran on in-house Windows servers

• Office staff accessed systems on the local network

• Remote staff connected via VPN

• Foundation BTS monitored servers and handled backups and recovery

• Datto backup solutions protected their critical systems, with:

  • Daily cloud screenshot verification

  • Annual full recovery tests

  • Living runbooks that were updated after each test

On paper, it looked like a “traditional” on-prem setup — but behind the scenes, the protection, testing, and documentation were very modern and disciplined.

One morning in 2018, monitoring tools alerted Foundation BTS that the client’s servers were down.

Shortly after, the CFO called to explain what was happening:

• There were multiple fire trucks outside the building

• Firefighters were actively spraying water

• The server room had been declared “toast”

• And it was payroll day — a day they had never missed

In that moment, this wasn’t just “an IT issue.” It was a business continuity crisis:

• No access to on-prem servers

• No ability to run key applications

• A payroll deadline that could not slip

• Insurance processes that would be slow and outside their control

Run the Plan, Not the Panic – Instead of scrambling, Foundation BTS followed the disaster recovery plan that had already been tested.

Behind the scenes, the team immediately:

• Engaged the systems admin team responsible for backups and recovery

• Initiated the documented runbook for this client

• Verified that Datto cloud backups were ready to be spun up

Because backups were tested daily and full recovery tests were performed yearly, there was no guessing. The team already knew:

• The backups worked

• The recovery steps were accurate

• The process had been validated recently

Within roughly 45 minutes, Foundation BTS:

• Spun up a restored server in the cloud from Datto backups

• Provided secure remote access for the CFO

• Enabled him to run payroll from his truck in the parking lot while firefighters were still on site

The “backup solution” they had invested in proved its value, not in theory — but in real time, under real pressure.

After the initial crisis:

• The on-prem servers, damaged by smoke, were sent off for insurance evaluation and recovery

• That process took far longer than the business could afford to be offline

Instead of waiting, the firm simply:

• Continued to operate from the cloud-hosted restored environment managed by Foundation BTS

• Ran Jonas and other critical systems in the cloud for about three months

• Kept projects moving and deadlines on track, despite the physical disaster

With the building affected, there was another problem:
The team needed somewhere to work.

Foundation BTS helped bridge that gap too:

• The company temporarily used the Foundation BTS boardroom as a workspace for two days

• During that time, they set up a temporary office in Markham

• Staff were reconnected, workstations were configured, and operations were stabilized in the new location

This wasn’t just IT support – it was full-spectrum business continuity support.

The organization now benefits from:

✔ No missed payroll

• The CFO’s biggest fear was avoided. Staff were paid on time, as usual.

✔ Minimal unexpected downtime

• Backups and a clear recovery process prevented what could have been days or weeks of disruption.

✔ Continued operations during insurance delays

• While insurance providers handled the damaged hardware, the firm simply ran in the cloud.

✔ Rapid office relocation support

• With temporary space and hands-on IT help, the team moved quickly into a Markham office and kept going.

✔ Proof that disaster planning works

• The event became a proof point that investment in tested backups, runbooks, and recovery processes is worth every penny.