Tech Data Corp., a Florida-based multibillion-dollar distributor of electronics and other I.T. products and services, said it was back in full operating mode today following an interruption of service caused by Hurricane Irma that knocked its websites, TechData.com and Shop.TechData.com, offline on Monday and Tuesday.

A Tech Data spokesman said early today that the company, including its e-business operations, were “fully operational. Our Clearwater headquarters (and all of our locations) are now open for business as usual.” He added that the interruption in service was caused by utility power and network outages, but that Tech Data’s internal technology systems and operations were never compromised.

Tech Data is one of 10 Florida-based companies listed in the B2B E-Commerce 300, where it is ranked No. 57. LogoUp.com (No. 222), based in Pompano Beach along the Atlantic Coast in southeast Florida, posted a notice on its home page Monday and Tuesday advising that it was “dealing with the substantial impact of Hurricane Irma” and, out of concerns for the safety of its more than 150 employees, had closed its warehouse. It added, “We have been working overtime in advance of Hurricane Irma’s arrival and have plans to accelerate shipments immediately after.”

LogoUp’s hurricane message added that “our website is still fully operational so we can continue to take your orders.” The message was still appearing randomly today on LogoUp.com’s home page.

ACWholesalers.com (No. 180), based in Doral, just west of Miami, emailed a notice to its customers on Monday saying that, though its “facilities were spared by the hurricane,” it was not fully operational because of “power and data issues.” It said it expected to have restored power utility service within 48 hours. Its website today posted a note saying, “Due to inclement weather (Hurricane Irma), you may experience shipping delays.”

The e-commerce sites all appeared to be up and running without major interruption this week for the other seven companies: OfficeDepot.com (No. 42), Jabil.com (No. 62), SuperWarehouse.com (No. 168), TheParkCatalog.com (No. 172), FullSource.com (No. 186), ReStockIt.com (No. 187) and OrbitalSatCom.com (No. 293). Office Depot posted at the bottom of its home page this week a section on Emergency Preparedness, with advice on storm preparations and links to the Buy pages of related products like first-aid kits and flashlights.

Tech Data facilities were in Irma’s direct path. The company’s Clearwater operations are based near Florida’s Gulf Coast, just west of Tampa Bay and the city of Tampa, which were in the direct line of Irma as it swept northward through the state on Monday. It also has facilities in Miami, where Irma also hit hard, and along the hurricane’s path in Georgia.

“Hurricane Irma forced the temporary closure of our Clearwater headquarters, Miami sales office and logistics center, and Georgia facilities on Monday, Sept. 11, and part of Tuesday, Sept 12,” the spokesman said. The Clearwater and Miami facilities experienced power and network outages, but “Tech Data’s systems did not fail and our operations were never compromised,” he said.

Because of the power and network outages, he said, Tech Data’s “ability to communicate with our customers via normal methods (including via the web) was suspended.” But he said the company’s dual data centers were kept operating throughout the hurricane on power from company generators, and that they came back online once network connectivity was restored.

The storm caused a backlog of orders, but Tech Data’s sales teams and other personnel worked on them Tuesday prior to getting back online, “which gave us a head-start in getting those orders processed,” the spokesman said. He added that Tech Data was also working with its trading partners to quickly process backlogged orders.

TechData.com was offline on Monday and Tuesday, showing this message:

“Weather Alert: Hurricane Irma

“Thank you for visiting techdata.com.
We have temporarily re-directed power to ensure continuous service as Hurricane Irma passes over Tech Data Headquarters in Clearwater, Florida. Please check back with us in a couple of hours. We hope to return systems back to normal operating status soon.”

The message included a “Show Details” link, which when clicked took visitors to a page that noted a failure to connect to a web server, “due to a TCP connection timeout.” (TCP stands for transmission control protocol, the standard protocol for sending data over the internet.)

The company, which distributes products for such suppliers as HP Inc., Apple Inc., Cisco Systems Inc. and Microsoft Corp., didn’t immediately return a request for more details on how long its websites were down and how its internet infrastructure was compromised.

TechData.com’s home page posted this message today: “Great news! Business operations have been fully restored and we are now transacting through all order sources, including all out e-business systems and tools. We look forward to working with you to quickly process any outstanding backlog. Thank you for choosing Tech Data.”

On Twitter and Facebook, Tech Data posted a message on Monday saying “As Florida prepares for Hurricane Irma, our top priority is ensuring the safety of our Florida-based employees and their families.” It also thanked its corporate colleagues throughout the country for “helping to ensure full support to our customers and vendors.” The message posted on Facebook received more than 240 Likes.

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