07/ 25/ 2006
by Alan Stewart
It was a hot, steamy day in Naperville, Ill., when Lachman Associates suddenly lost power. "In one fell swoop my computers and data communications went down," says CEO Ron Lachman. Across the street, his largest customer, Lucent Technologies, ran on its own generators and was unaffected. "My largest customer taught me a hard lesson that day," Lachman says. "We were hired to write their switch software, and we couldn't even write our own."
RDG, a graphics design company in Crystal Lake, Ill., also experienced an extended power outage a few years ago. But RDG’s workstations, servers and routers were individually protected and continued running long enough so staff could store critical data and shut down the system smoothly. "An unprotected workstation that fails can cause an irretrievable loss of information," says president Paul Raymond. "Bad mistakes on large files containing embedded documents and images mean we must revert to earlier versions. My business cannot afford that."
Mike Miskin runs Lynk Labs, a high tech firm in Elgin, Ill. Two years ago, a power failure cost him time and money—spurring him to make plans to protect his business against future outages. "I inventoried my equipment, researched how to survive and realized that both my computers and my network needed to stay up," Miskin says. He put together a low-cost backup system that kept essential equipment running. "It worked well and saved me a lot of grief."
RDG's Raymond suggests doing online research. "Study information from computer companies, program providers and uninterruptible power source manufacturers. Assess how vulnerable your equipment is, select the right products, ensure they work and continue to back up your files repeatedly."
Backup Plans
These two forms of backup keep the lights on when the power goes out:
Generator
It keeps your business powered until you're up and running again
Uninterruptible power supply
Acting like giant battery packs, UPSs keep systems running long enough for employees to save critical data and properly shut down computers.
