While most businesses take measures to protect their data from online threats, physical dangers—including destructive storms—are often overlooked. From rolling blackouts to flood and wind damage, complications from rainstorms, blizzards, and other inclement weather can be just as damaging as digital attackers.  

Of the threats storms pose, power outages are predominantly detrimental. Not only do they lead to costly delays, but data corruption, network issues, and security breaches can also occur.

To that end, we’ve outlined six precautionary steps to keep your office and data safe from future harm during a storm-induced power outage.

Step 1: Ensure Employee Safety & Security 

First check on your people. Their wellbeing is the most important. Whether your employees are working at home or in the office, ensuring each one is safe and secure during a power outage is key during difficult times. Remember to create a power outage plan that employees can follow during storms and reinforce the importance of protecting data and using secure connections when a blackout does occur.

Implement Additional Data Storage Systems 

Office spaces and physical items damaged in a storm can be replaced, but data cannot. Implementing additional storage systems before disaster strikes can ensure your data stays secure under all conditions. 

From third-party cloud storage platforms like Google Drive to external hard drives for crucial information, keeping financial data, client contacts and other information safe should always be a priority.

Factor In Electrical Surges

Power outages happen rapidly. You may not have time to unplug your laptop or computer from an outlet when they do. Without a surge protector, the incoming voltage from an electrical storm could fry your computer battery, cause data corruption and wreak digital havoc.  

Not only should you invest in a surge protector, but you should also buy additional power sources—such as laptop batteries—so that outages don’t prevent you from getting the job done.

Invest In Internet Service Protection

Yes, wired internet systems are fast and reliable. However, with a backup in place, your current wired system will be usable during outages. Wireless systems, on the other hand, don’t suffer the same restrictions and remain reliable even during extended blackouts.

Through internet service protection plans, if a service outage does occur, a wireless system can route to the nearest cellular carrier with the fastest internet speeds available. Once power is restored, your system will automatically revert to the wired system in place, effortlessly returning your connection to optimal levels.

Other benefits of internet service protection through a wireless system include:

• Seamless integration with existing wired systems
• Greater reliability and affordability than many wired systems
• Automatic switching between networks for optimized service at all times

Choose A Reputable Wi-Fi Provider

When your wired internet connection goes down, relying on mobile hotspots or other unsecured Wi-Fi networks can lead to two disasters at once: storm damage and potential data breaches from opportunistic cybercriminals.

Don’t give cyber attackers a chance. Choosing solutions like Enterprise Business Wi-Fi from Sparklight means you’ll experience centralized Wi-Fi management, superior application visibility and control, robust firewall protection and location analytics for a healthy, stable internet connection.

Make Sure Storms Are a Business Priority 

You might think to yourself, “I’ve got bigger problems to worry about than storms.” This may be true—until a tornado leads to a weeklong blackout and total data loss. In situations like these, it’s much better to be prepared for the worst than to hope for the best.

By taking preventative measures now to ensure your business is protected from storm damage, you’ll rest assured knowing your organization is fit to weather even the worst threats.