Summer Storms are Upon Us

We’re an Oklahoma-based company, so we know all about bad weather. Oklahoma isn’t called “Tornado Alley” for nothing. But bad weather isn’t exclusive to us. We know Mother Nature, bold and unpredictable, is a true force to be reckoned with, causing an immense amount of damage to small businesses across the nation every year.  

Weather is an unpredictable aspect that can break your business in a matter of minutes. No matter what region you reside in or what time of year it is, Mother Nature likes to make her powers known. Equipment can be temperamental in the first place, so it’s no surprise that the added chaos of a storm can damage it.

Lightning

There are several ways a storm can damage your equipment. Lighting is one of the largest contenders in terms of potential threat, and can damage your equipment in one of two ways. A direct lightning strike, which is unlikely, will cause significant damage to electrical and nonelectrical items by either starting a fire via the wiring within the walls or the attic, or frying electrical equipment that is plugged into either a wall or a surge protector. In the instance of a direct lightning strike, a surge protector will not keep your electronics safe.

A far more likely example includes a nearby lightning strike that enters the home through wires or pipes that extend outside the home such as phone, internet, or cable wires from a utility pole.

Surge Protectors

One way to protect your equipment from a nearby strike is a simple serge protector. Unlike a direct strike, the surge protector will keep your equipment safe from voltage fluctuations that result from a nearby strike. When buying a surge protector, it is important to chose one that has an auto-shutoff feature when compromised. The most important thing to remember is not all power strips are surge protectors. While many power strips and surge protectors may include similar features such as an off switch and multiple outlets, it’s important to read the packaging to be sure that it is, in fact, a surge protector.

It is also important to remember to not plug a surge protector into another surge protector, or even a non-protecting power strip into a surge protector power strip. This is a potential fire hazard that could do the opposite of what it is intended to do. Additionally, damaged or old surge protectors are fire hazards, so be sure to check your strip accordingly for damages. This piece of equipment doesn’t last forever and will at some point need replacing. A surge protector keeps your equipment safe by taking the brunt of a power spike, sacrificing its own integrity to preserve your devices. Your surge protector might survive a few surges, but it will eventually stop protecting. Fortunately, many surge protectors have an LED indicator to let you know if your surge protector is functioning properly.

Unplug Your Devices

While utilizing surge protectors is a good idea, the safest measure is to simply unplug your devices. This is especially important with more expensive and irreplaceable items such as a computer. If you know a big storm is coming, remember to unplug your device to ensure it is safe.

Water Damage

One of the other main enemies of equipment is water. When a storm hits, a leaky roof or flood could lead to water damage and the destruction of anything electrical. While there isn’t a way to specifically prevent this, you can intervene before it is too late with water detection sensors. These sensors are great for server rooms and offices by alerting you if moisture is detected in any way.

The Cyber Side of Disaster Preparedness

Because your equipment is home to not only your business’ critical data, but in many cases, personal information of your clients, patients, or students, having a data backup plan is a necessary precaution. With VIP Technology Solution Group’s Managed IT Services, we provide backups for all of your essential data, apps, and services as well as many additional cyber security functions.

Securely backing up your data to the cloud can save your business’ operations even if bad weather has damaged your physical devices.

If your business, school, local government, or medical facility’s technology isn’t prepared for inevitable bad weather, contact us or check out our Managed IT Services page.