Electricity is a utility we take for granted these days, as energy is cheaper and more diverse than ever. So it can be easy to forget just how important it is to protect your business from power failures.
Just because you operate in a big city doesn’t mean that you’re forever safe from power interruptions and failures. And just because Las Vegas isn’t prone to strong weather conditions like those experienced near the coast or out on the Eastern Seaboard doesn’t mean that outages don’t occur here.
In February 2020, around 1,000 NVEnergy customers experienced scattered power outages due to a pole fire. Other than fires, vehicular accidents and the like have resulted in toppled power poles, which bring about power failures.
What are the types of power failure?
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Brownout
Brownouts are a sudden drop in voltage that causes lights to dim and other appliances to either stop running or run at a lower level than normal. This type of power failure can cause electrical equipment like servers and computers to malfunction. -
Blackout
Blackouts are a complete loss of power in an area. These may last for as short as a few minutes or even up to hours at a time. Blackouts can damage office equipment that aren’t supposed to be shut off suddenly or have critical cool-down and shut-off procedures. They can also disrupt file save events, which may result in corrupted files. -
Permanent fault
Permanent faults are a large loss of power due to faults on power lines. They are like blackouts, but may last longer and tend to affect larger areas.
How are businesses affected by power failures?
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Customers and revenue will be lost
Power outages disrupt business operations, so if you run a physical storefront or office space, it may leave your staff unable to work. Furthermore, it can also cause your site to go down, which is a serious problem if your business relies on eCommerce and the internet to generate revenue.This issue is a double-edged sword, as it can lead to negative customer impressions, and everyone knows that a damaged reputation often leads to bigger losses. For service businesses, especially those that work online, staying present for your clients is something that you can’t overlook.
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Inventories will not move
Outages effectively lock out both customers and suppliers from your system. This leaves customers unable to browse products and suppliers unable to restock your inventories. Over time, it will result in poor inventory management that can leave sought-after items unstocked and slow-moving items overstocked. That translates into lost sales opportunities and potential spoilage. -
Employee productivity will be cut
No business today can operate without electricity, and even if your staff can work on mobile devices or laptops that have their own batteries, those will need recharging eventually. Furthermore, working in a closed space without power for heating, lighting, and air conditioning will lead to unhappy workers. -
Data can be lost or corrupted
Power interruptions are dangerous for information systems because a fluctuation or interruption can damage electronics and/or interrupt data saves. Electronic damage caused by a voltage drop or surge can be expensive to reverse — you might as well buy new equipment in most cases. And interrupted data saves can harm not only the file you’re saving, but even the entire disk where you intended to save your files.Aside from the immediate costs of power-related data loss events, you can expect to suffer more lost opportunities and more costs down the road. A data-driven business approach is a tried-and-tested way to achieve growth, and if you lose that valuable data, it can set your growth trends back.
How can you protect your business?
Before anything else, make sure your business data is backed up in a remote server or in the cloud. Talk to a managed IT services provider (MSP) like Kortek Solutions about business continuity to ensure that your company data is protected no matter what.
Kortek Solutions also provides power management services and solutions, so you can maximize your technology while protecting your tech investments from risk. We’ll make sure that you experience as little downtime as possible, so you can focus on bringing more value to your clients and more profits for your investors.
Kortek Solutions is Las Vegas’ leading IT solutions provider. Drop us a line at 702-242-4862 to discuss our services and schedule your discovery session. You may also visit our office down at Diablo Drive to chat with our friendly technicians.