With the onset of rains and related problems often causing power-related problems such as power outages as well as surges and spikes, the importance of companies backing up computers, networks and other mission-critical areas of the business must be highlighted.

“Power problems have a significant impact, both in terms of damage to hardware and the loss of data,” explains Paolo Miglietta, regional channel manager: English and Portuguese speaking Africa at APC by Schneider Electric. “This is especially true for individuals and small to medium businesses who may not have taken the time to prepare a disaster plan to combat this type of issue.

“In spite of the flood of advances seen in the high-tech industry over the past few years, the reliable supply of electricity continues to require the intervention of surge protection, battery back-up power and other availability solutions.”

There are a number of steps that users can take to better plan and safeguard all electrical equipment within the home and office. The first step is to start with AC line surge protection. A power surge from a nearby lightning strike can destroy the sensitive electrical circuitry in servers, modems and telephones, while reduced voltage output that causes 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,” Miglietta says. “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 protection. Looking at runtime, the third 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 sized according to the amount of VA/watts required to keep these devices up and running.

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 preset 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”.

Finally, compatibility is another major consideration as the information technology industry, and subsequently the number of vendors, continues to grow. Select a vendor that is able to integrate a wide array of desktop operating systems, network management tools and software applications, as well as a variety of device plug types, data line connectors and voltage requirements.