When disaster strikes it is always better to be safe then sorry by ensuring you have strategic back up plans in place.

It is vital that your business is fully prepaid for events that will potentially disrupt the power supply and impact your company, such as the upcoming sporting and load shedding event.

With all of the extra demand on our already strained power utility, organizations need to ensure that they have taken steps to prepare themselves for what will surely be a taxing time in terms of power.

During the upcoming sporting event our country will play host to somewhere in the region of half million tourists, and all these extra people will be using additional electricity. Not to mention the hotels that they are staying, and the bars and restaurants they will be visiting, will also need to use power to cater for these visitors.

However when we weigh up the huge benefits that hosting such an event will have for our country, the power issue we may experience are a small price to pay, and we need to do our bit to help Eskom deal with demand. There are several contingencies that can be put in place to ensure that any ‘niggles’ in the power supply will not have dramatic impact on everyday business life.”

Companies must always be prepared for any potential power issue caused by natural disasters or major events. These occurrences highlight the importance of the backing up of computers, networks and other mission-critical areas of the business.

Power problems have a significant impact, both in terms of damage to hardware and the loss of data. This is especially true for individuals and small to medium businesses (SMBs) who may not have taken the time to prepare a disaster plan to combat this type of issue

Fortunately there are of steps that users can take to better plan and safeguard all electrical equipment within the home and office environment.

Step 1: Dealing with power surges

People are well aware of the dangers of power surges, as these can literally fry

Electronic equipment, cause it fail and disrupt business. However brownouts are more insidious, Forcing equipment to work harder on less power and ultimately shortening the lifespan of these products. They can also cause corrupted data, something which can be detrimental to business.

The first step is to start with AC line surge protection. A power surge can destroy the sensitive electrical circuitry in serves, modems and telephone, while reduced voltage output that cause sags along AC power lines can result in data glitches, hardware failure and unexpected system crashes. This usually happens when utilities are managing high electricity demand and is often accompanied by an instantaneous increase in voltage called a “spike”.

At the very least, all important electronics should be safeguarded by surge protectors with low let-through voltage ratings, to even out the fluctuations in electricity. Regular outlet strips aren’t helpful unless they contain a surge suppression capability.

The next step is to close off any possible entry for surges, including any connection leading into the unit, such as AC, network serial or phone lines, by selecting a surge protector with telephone/data/line/coax problem.

Step 2: Upgrading UPS systems

Looking at runtime, the next step is to consider those critical devices that would benefit from continued operation during an outage. An uninterruptible power supply (UPS) Provides battery- supplied backup power during a blackout and units can be sixed according the amount of VA/watts required to keep these devices up and running.

Many businesses already have a UPS in place to deal with times when power surges or goes down. But with a higher demand on our energy we can expect power to be out for longer than usual, and organizations may want to look at upgrading these systems to give longer standby times, or to one that will offer autonomy in terms of run time and will allow people to continue working. Computer users can further benefit from the use of power management software, which monitors the quality of power entering the user’s building, keeps a log of power events, and notifies the user if any present threshold has been reached. Connected to a UPS, this software also provides the ability to automatically and safely shut down operating systems and certain running applications, as well as save any data “in progress”.

Step3: Make sure UPS has built in intelligence

Any UPS system can only be truly useful if it is reliable and prevents power problems from interfering with electronic equipment.

This means that UPS equipment needs to have built in intelligence that will give accurate readings of how long the battery will last for, Intelligent UPS systems also provide failsafe technology, by automatically shutting down systems when power failures last beyond the power capability of the equipment. This will prevent problems further down the line should power outages last longer than expected, and will save vital equipment.

 Step4: Ensuring server rooms do not over heat

Typically, when server rooms are running on UPS, the air conditioning systems are not connected. If a business has a large server environment, all of the equipment running in an un-cooled environment can cause over heating. Over heating in a server room can be catastrophic, leading to equipment failure, corrupt of lost of data and a compromising of the entire environment that forms the back bone of modern businesses. To save business from this costly problem, organization need to ensure that when power fails, they have a backup system that will air conditioners and cooling systems running at a level that will prevent over heating.

 Step5: Managing remote sites effectively

Remote sites, especially those in rural areas, are at great risk of falling victim to power outages. It is essential to be able to remote manage UPS systems in these areas to ensure that power management remains efficient and effective. UPS systems with built in PDU capability enable administrators or IT managers to switch the system on or off from a remote desktop, and allow for the remote shutdown not only of power, but also of services and appliance. This can save vital equipment as well as time and money required to go out to these sites and fix failed equipment.

Dealing with these power problems as business and taking the necessary steps to prevent these issues from interrupting the running of our organizations, will help to ensure that the effect that the effect will be minimized during times of power surges or outages.