The Battery Backup
Categories: End Users Information Outages Security
The Battery Backup
As you know, May in Oklahoma can be a VERY tumultuous month. Tornadoes, high winds, lightning and flooding are known threats to our homes and offices. In past newsletters, the importance of having a backup plan has been discussed. These data backup plans are great if a computer breaks, but also in disaster situations. But there is another backup solution that has proven just as important for protecting your computers and office equipment—the battery backup.
Following the recent flood events in Oklahoma City and southeast Oklahoma, I received a phone call from a county that received some significant damage. The call went something like this: “Cynthia, our office has flooded and we aren’t sure if the computers are going to work. When they came in to start cleaning up, there was a strong electrical burn smell and we are worried that our computers are fried. Is there any way we can recover data if this is the case”?
As I started asking some questions about the equipment, it became apparent very quickly that this county was probably going to be okay as far as their computer equipment went. First, all of the computers were secured off of the floor, on carts; therefore, no water actually got into the computer towers. This was the first sigh of relief and should underscore the importance of not storing your computer on the floor if there is a flood risk but instead putting it on a shelf (without a door) or on the desk. Secondly, each of the computers had a battery backup, protected the computers from power surges. While each of the battery backups were destroyed and need to be replaced, all of the computers and data were saved.
Battery backups are not an expensive purchase, especially when you consider the cost of the equipment and data they protect. The Cyberpower UPS Battery Backup (shown below) costs around $55 at Staples. This low cost protects your computer from a variety of electrical issues such as lightning, power surges, and as mentioned, water.
A couple things to note, if you are ever concerned about a computer suffering water damage, NEVER turn it on to see if it works. If you see ANY signs of water, unplug the power, open the cover and allow it to thoroughly dry out (a minimum of 24 hours) before testing to see if it works. If you are unsure or you think it suffered damage, call your support specialist immediately.
Having a computer backup plan is always a good idea, but don’t leave it all to chance! Protect your office equipment, and your data by contacting your support specialist to find out what is best for you and your office.