This time of year we are all especially vulnerable to ice and snow storms and the havoc they can create. Heavy snow and ice coatings can drag down power lines and lead to the loss of electricity to your business.

If you have the proper measures in place, you can avoid or mitigate the damage or chaos that can result from power loss.

Here are a few tips:

*Make sure your electronic equipment is plugged into a battery back up unit or UPS (Uninterrupted Power Supply). A UPS does not last forever and should be replaced every two to three years to make sure it is effectively doing its job.

When a UPS is coming to the end of its life, the LED lights on the front, which are green or yellow when functioning optimally, will turn red or orange. This is a good time to replace your UPS, before it stops working. Surge protectors should be replaced every every two to three years as well.

*Your phone system, data switches and routers should be on a UPS and a surge protector and grounded.

*It’s a good idea to proactively unplug your devices before a storm arrives when a significant event is predicted.

*If your office is located in a high risk area for lighting, you should consider installing a Central Office (CO) surge protector – this protects the incoming phone lines from passing a surge through to your telephone system if struck.

*The location of your electronic devices is also critical. Make sure they are installed in a data rack or at a minimum, not sitting directly on the floor. You should avoid placing any electronics in locations where water pipes, faucets and hot water heaters are within close proximity.

*Finally, check the roof of your building. Look for holes or gaps in it. Also take note of any large tree brances that hang over it. These could become problematic.

For more tips on how to keep the power on in your business, call Teltek! For no charge, we can perform a site survey and make recommendations for improving the safety and reliability of your devices. If you do lose power and have trouble getting everything back on line, we can help with that too. Disaster recovery is part of our Total Care Assurance plan and something we specialize in. Teltek wants you to be safe and Power On!

Teltek is proud to offer IT services as the fourth component to our multi-systems approach as your single source technology services company. This Managed Service Provider (MSP) offering completes our longstanding goal to provide our clients with a one-call resource for all of their business technology needs. IT outsourcing, remote back up and disaster recovery, helpdesk support, computer network relocations, security products and server/desktop virtualization are just a few of the services now available.