Bryley Basics: Prepare your IT equipment for power-disrupting winter storms
Winter storms can disable IT equipment, particularly with the possibility of power disruptions and sustained outages. The best way to prepare:
- Deploy UPS (Uninterruptible Power Source) devices for servers, critical network equipment (routers, firewalls, Wireless Access Points, etc.), and, as needed, high-priority PCs or workstations.
- If you have on-premise servers, configure them to communicate with their attached UPSs to enable a safe shutdown in the event of a sustained outage. (With communication enabled, the UPS will let a server know it is on stand-by power; the server can then begin an orderly shutdown automatically.)
- Monitor these UPS devices and test them at least annually.
An in-line generator can also be connected to the data center; if power fails, the generator starts and automatically powers the data-center, feeding UPS devices. (The in-line generator at Bryley Systems runs on natural gas, but diesel, propane, and gasoline versions are also available.)
In addition, a fail-over site and disaster-recovery plan can provide an alternative if your data center becomes unavailable for an extended period of time. (We now offer a Continuity option with our Backup/Data Recovery service that provides fail-over site capability at a very reasonable price.)
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