Commercial electrical power can be lost due to downed lines, malfunctions at a sub-station, inclement weather, planned ‘rolling’ blackouts, or in extreme cases a grid-wide failure so it’s vital to make sure your IT business is protected. Here are some tips to help you know that you’re ready should a power cut affect your business.
Power Protection Equipment
In an IT business, your computing technology will usually be one of your biggest investments and any damage due to a power surge or failure can be detrimental. Taking a proactive approach with power loss planning will give you peace of mind that your equipment is well protected for this eventuality.
Surge Protectors
These are devices that shield computer and other electronic devices from surges in electrical power or transient voltage, which flow from the power source as anything over the standard 120 Volts can damage your IT equipment. Surge protectors work by channeling the extra voltage into the grounding wire within the socket – allowing the normal voltage to continue as normal and preventing interruption to your usage.
Uninterruptable Power Systems (UPS)
A UPS is an electrical apparatus that provides emergency power during a power cut. It can also provide battery backup, giving you time to save your data in case of a longer power failure and perform a normal shut down – and some are even able to power equipment for up to 20 minutes! UPS’s also offer protection from surges, so they’re a great multifunctional option but can be pricey depending on the size of your network. Critical Power Supplies have a great range to suit your needs and network size, and can provide advice to help you make sure your critical data is protected in the case of a power cut.
Cloud Computing
Even if you decide that the risk to your business is not great enough to warrant the installation of additional equipment, it’s still wise to put some measures in place. You could consider increasing your usage of cloud computing, that way your data is stored securely online even if your physical business is affected by a power cut. You could also consider business interruption insurance to help if your businesses were to lose revenue due to unexpected shutdowns. Coverage is generally there to protect from loss of income rather than your equipment so it might be worth checking if any coverage for damage of equipment is included.
Takeaway
Power cuts may rarely happen in your business, but when they do happen, you could put your business in danger if you are unprepared. With that being said, you should consider your options well and be sure to adopt both on-site and off-site backups. Even if you take the cloud computing route, you need to adopt a hybrid cloud setup, which requires you to have backup on both private and public cloud.
Please consult with trusted IT backup and protection consultants for the best way to go.
Photo credit: Brian J. Matis / Flickr
