Most businesses live in the cloud. Data is stored there, major applications run there, and access issues can cause massive disruptions. A business outage, defined as a loss of electrical power that lasts long enough to disrupt a firm’s essential processes, can be either electrical or Internet-related in nature. Both types of outage can take down your access to the cloud, making up-time a critical component of corporate success.
Two ways to mitigate the risks of downtime are making sure you have an uninterruptible power supply for all critical systems and ensuring you have redundant Internet.
Uninterruptible power supply
Blackouts, brownouts or power spikes can happen to any business. While they may only last 5-7 minutes on average, they can cause significant damage to hardware, resulting in lost or corrupted data. They will also cause your Internet to go out, as the device powering your connection will shut off, causing loss of productivity. Having an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) will ensure you can make a seamless switch over to your backup generator, resulting in no outage for the business – and, by extension, no data loss or wasted employee time.
There are hundreds of different UPS types on the market. The simplest units are “plug and play,” and you should have one for every computer running critical applications and storing important data. A quality UPS will provide a steady stream of electricity to everything plugged into it, while simultaneously safeguarding against power spikes. As an MSP in the industry, we recommend the brand Eaton. However, you should consult an IT provider to find out which product is best for your business, and your provider should be able to set up your new UPS for you.
Redundant Internet
Your Internet will go out if your business’ power does, but you can still suffer from Internet downtime even if your power supply is working. In today’s online-reliant society, non-working Internet will leave most businesses dead in the water. No Internet means no access to anything in the cloud, no email, and, for any company using VoIP, your phones are down too.
This is why we recommend having redundant Internet connections. What does that mean? Essentially, you’ll have multiple paths to access functioning Internet. Best practice is to have at least two Internet connections coming from two separate providers, as the chance of two major providers’ Internet service going down simultaneously is little to none. You will need to hire an IT provider to come in and configure the correct software so that if the main connection goes down, your Internet will switch over to the backup.
We live in a world where things can happen that affect our businesses in ways beyond our control. By being prepared with an uninterruptible power supply and redundant Internet, you can mitigate the impact that outages and connectivity issues have on your day-to-day operations – and your bottom line.
Our goal for this blog is to answer the questions you ask! If you have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to reach out and contact us! If you’re looking for more information around protecting your business, download our FREE business resumption template and take the first steps in disaster planning.
