Power outages can be really annoying, especially for businesses. For the most part though, they are seen as a frustration that you need to put up with until the power comes back on, and then everything goes back to normal. However, this is not always true – especially if your business doesn’t have proper backup and data recovery capabilities in place. Power outages can have a lot of impact on your business, and that impact can continue even after the power is restored.
Without Data Recovery Systems, Power Outages can be Devastating
We’ve compiled the following list of some of the ways a power outage can negatively impact you and your company. How many of these were you aware of?
1. Lost time: This one is pretty obvious. When the power is down, everything goes down with it- phone, internet, computer, lights, etc. This means that until the power comes back up, your company is pretty dead in the water.
2. Lost documents: If you don’t regularly save your data while you are working on it, and don’t have a good data backup and data recovery system in place, a power outage can cause you to lose your data- with no hope of restoring it.
3. Surges frying your equipment: Did you know that many times when the power is restored after an outage there can be a power surge? This sudden burst of energy can actually fry your computer equipment- so you won’t be able to work even though the power is back.
4. Surges causing electrical fires: If you’ve ever heard your parents tell you to turn off the TV and lights during a power outage, this is because that surge of electricity that happens when the power comes back on may be so powerful that it can actually cause sparks from equipment or outlets, and that can cause electrical fires. Then you have a whole new type of crisis on your hands.
5. Electrical Shock to you: If you are in contact with plugs or cords when electricity is being restored (or immediately after), you could be at risk of receiving an electrical shock. It’s always a good idea to be patient and wait a little bit even after the power is restored to start touching plugs and cords.
These all sound pretty scary. Fortunately, there are some simple steps you can take to help prevent damage to you and your business during power outages:
- Never plug anything directly in to the wall, use UPS devices and surge protectors. This will help prevent dangerous surges when the power is restored.
- Make sure you have a good backup system in place, and that everyone in the office knows how to use it.
- Make sure you consistently save your work, even as you are working on it. Some programs actually have an auto-save feature, that will automatically save your work every few minutes.
- Don’t fiddle around with plugs and cords during, or immediately after, a power outage. Wait some time to let the power settle back to normal, or let a professional handle it.
There are many other unforeseen issues that can be caused by seemingly mundane or simply annoying situations. It is critical to make sure your business is prepared to handle them, so that you have limited downtime and limited loss, and so that your business can keep running.