Power outages can derail 业务连续性

Even a single second of 停机时间 at your business can cause a ripple effect that sees operations become unhinged. While most 业务连续性 Plans (BCPs) take into account longer 停电s, short ones can be just as dangerous to your company. It is important that you and your employees be prepared should a 停电 strike. We’ve prepared some information to help you do just that.

Power outages are one of the only disasters that can strike just about anywhere in the United States. If you are in Seattle chances are tropical storms are not going to be an issue and if you’re in Miami you aren’t going to fret over a blizzard, 但任何地方都有可能失去动力, 在任何时候，没有任何警告.

A Department of Energy report noted that 停电s cost American businesses nearly $150 billion in 2014 and added that increasing demand for energy coupled with an aging infrastructure could see the number of 停电s increase. While weather-related events are the most common cause of 停电s in the U.S., it is far from the only thing that can disrupt energy service.

Since this is a problem that will continue to plague businesses, especially those ones that are unprepared, it’s important to be ready should a 停电 strike. Here are a few things you should consider when it comes to 停电s.

Power outages hurt in more ways than you think

The most notable issue a business faces when a 停电 occurs is an inability to work. Employees often times sit around unable to do anything until the power is turned back on. 一旦力量恢复, additional time is needed to safely turn everything back on and to check if all your files are still there.

There are also numerous indirect consequences that your business may face either during or after a 停电. These include a loss of revenue from potential sales, a decrease in customer satisfaction and a drop in your company’s reputation. The more your company is prepared for a 停电, the better continuity you will see and the less damage will be done. While it may be impossible to completely avoid issues caused by 停电s, 你可以把它们的影响降到最低.

做好停电的准备

One of the biggest sources of frustration for employees during a 停电 is losing files they had been working on. Autosave features do help prevent this but sometimes you’ll still lose that one important note or sentence you didn’t have the chance to save. Uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) are one way to buy your employees a little extra time should the power go out. You're able to plug your computer into these devices and they will operate as a battery when the power goes out. The life of these power stations is anywhere from ten minutes to an hour for some models which should give you enough time to save your work and properly shutdown your computer.

If you want to stay in business during a 停电, a standby commercial 发电机 can help. These normally run on propane or natural gas and immediately switch on as soon as your main 电力供应 goes out. If you aren’t concerned about the lights but want to keep your employees productive, equipping them 4G enabled devices with 办公室 365 or 谷歌 Apps will let them continue to work on files that have been saved and stored on the cloud.

始终测试您的停机计划

Regardless of what your company's 计划s are during a 停电, you will need to test them on a regular basis to ensure everything runs smoothly when the real thing does happen. If you utilize a UPS or standby 发电机, you will want to test these out every six months at the very least to make sure they function properly. If your business has special 计划s for what employees need to do during a 停电, you should run a practice drill on a yearly basis to ensure everyone is up to speed on their duties.

They key to 业务连续性 is preparation. Let our team of experts help prepare your business for anything thrown its way in 2016 and beyond.