Surge Protectors & Backup Revisted

In our most recent company newsletter, we discussed the importance of having recent surge protectors, as they are only designed to last 1-2 years. Unfortunately, I received a call yesterday from someone who did not know this fact and had a computer damaged during yesterday's electrical storm. The computer was connected to an older surge protector. So, that is a real-world example of how older surge protectors may not be doing us much good during storms and other surges.

So, the prudent thing to do is to replace your surge protectors each year. When purchasing new ones, look for ones from a reputable company that clearly state that they are surge protectors. Many companies produce power strips that look like a surge protector, but actually do not offer any surge protection. You want to stay away from these when connecting computers and other electronic devices. You can many times save money by purchasing several surge strips together online, as opposed to visiting one of the big electronic retailers.

Of course, the other key practice that I can't stress enough is backing up. Even in the event of a power surge or other failure, if your critical data is backed up, then it can be recovered. A good backup strategy is absolutely critical in today's business world, with the amount that we depend on our data.

There are many great tools available for performing backups and we will be reviewing some different services and products in the coming entries. So, stay tuned!