Power cuts cost a business more than the hours of lost work. A sudden shutdown can corrupt files, damage equipment and leave a till stuck halfway through a sale. A few inexpensive steps keep the important things running and protect your data.
Decide what must stay on
Make a short list of what the business cannot do without during a power cut. Usually that is the internet router, the computers or tablets that take orders, the card machine and the till. Everything else, such as extra monitors, kettles and heaters, can wait.
Backup power for the essentials
- A small UPS (uninterruptible power supply) on the router and fibre box keeps you online through short cuts
- A UPS or inverter on key computers or the till gives you time to finish a sale and shut down properly
- Laptops carry their own battery, which makes them easier to keep going than desktops
- Keep laser printers and heavy equipment off small UPS units, because they draw a lot of power at start-up
Protect equipment from surges
The return of power can cause a surge. Use surge-protected plugs, and unplug sensitive equipment during a long outage if you will not be there when the power comes back.
Protect your data
- Back up files automatically to the cloud or an external drive
- Save work often and turn on auto-save
- Restore one file every month to prove the backup works
- Keep a copy of your data away from the office
Make your software cope
Ask whether your till, booking system and stock system keep working without internet, and what happens to sales made while offline. Cloud tools need a connection, so keep a phone with mobile data as a fallback and share its connection with a laptop if you must.
Plan for the long cuts
Know the schedule for your area, tell staff and customers about your reduced service, and agree what happens when the power fails at closing time. A written plan on the wall beats trying to remember one in the dark.