With all our advances in technology and state-of-the-art equipment, there's still one big problem that can befall
any company, big or small: A power outage. Without electricity, of course, all those great gizmos you have around the office become gigantic paperweights until the lights come back on.
The larger issue, however, is the actual harm power outages can do your to your business. This is why protection has become vital for virtually any business. It's not just there for convenience. Power protection can save you from actual costs, lost work, and even physical damage to your hardware.
There are three major ways in which a power interruption can end up costing you a lot of money.
Three Reasons Power Protection Is A Necessity For Your Business
I. Downtime
This is, of course, the most obvious problem. If your workers rely on computers to get their jobs done -and how many don't these days?- any power outage is going to prevent them from completing their work when needed. That means missed deadlines, lost revenue, and worse. Plus, you still have to pay everyone sitting around in the dark.
Even if some employees have laptops or tablets that they can do some work on, without access to the network or printers, they're still not going to be able to do much until the power comes back. Plus, trying to do work by hand that's normally done on computer (such as doing sales in a store) is necessarily going to be slower and harder on everyone involved.
Having a system in place that guarantees power continuity means not having to worry about this lost work, at least in all but the most extreme blackouts.
II. Equipment Damage
One thing some people don't really understand about power outages is that the power is rarely cut smoothly. Most of the time, when there's a sudden blackout, it's accompanied by a short but powerful surge in electricity that can disrupt or damage electronic systems. The power-up process also often involves a sudden surge.
Power protection isn't just about continuity of power, it's also about protecting your equipment itself.
Computers, servers, telephones, and virtually anything else plugged in can be at risk if a large enough power surge hits your grid. A strong surge protection suppressor or Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) system is really your only defense against this. These create a buffer zone between your equipment and the raw power output, shielding them from unexpected surges.
III. Data Loss
You might not think it, but the loss of DATA can actually be the biggest cost from a large
power outage, if you're unfortunate enough to have a power surge damage your servers. According to recent studies, a major loss of data can result in costs up to 10% of a business's yearly revenue. The costs that result from this are significantly larger than equipment or
manpower costs.
Ten years ago, losing data just made your life inconvenient, or perhaps made it harder to file your taxes. Today, thanks to the myriad regulations on the books requiring you to store data for so many years, an accidental loss of data can open you up to governmental fines, or even lawsuits. It's vital you protect your data.
We generally recommend that businesses utilize off-site or Cloud backup services to help secure their data, but failing this, a power protection unit is pretty much the first, last, and only line of defense that protects your servers from damage during a power outage.
Protect Yourself
Honestly: if you're currently running your systems without adequate protection, you're playing Russian roulette. A single nearby lightning strike or failure at your local power station could end up creating a very serious and costly situation for you.
If you'd like to know more, just ask and we'll help you find the right power solutions for your business!
