Fire Storms: As I write this, California is on fire! Thousands of people are currently at risk of losing their homes and businesses to the flames. Fires are becoming more destructive and unpredictable. There are power outages throughout the area including local businesses, hospitals, and industry. It will take days to get much of the power back on. Fires not only cause destruction but also create environmental hazards from the toxic smoke that fills large areas. It makes air unhealthy to breathe for humans but also damaging to data center equipment by clogging the air filters for computers, backup power systems and air conditioning units. This can cause damage days or even weeks after the event.
Weather: Heat, Rain, Tornadoes, Hurricanes and other weather related problems! As we go into this fall and winter, natural disasters are more common than ever. It is hot weather in the southwest, tornadoes in the heartland, hurricanes on the east coast, they all pose substantial risks for our data centers, hospitals, industry that rely on a steady stream of utility power.
The chances of a utility outage are greater than ever. How can you prepare? Make sure that you have sufficient back power and that the equipment is well maintained!
For more on weather related problems and fixes for Data Centers read this UpTime Institute article “Weather Warning”.
Earthquakes: In California earthquakes are fairly common. Fortunately most are small, but some have been devastating. An earthquake not only damages life and property close to the epicenter, but also causes havoc in the entire area with power outages, communication failures and much more.
Now is the time to prepare your facility for potential disasters:
- Make sure your backup equipment has regular maintenance
- Upgrade if necessary to ride through several days of power outages
- After a disaster schedule immediate service to make sure there has been no damage to the equipment and clean equipment, filters, and batteries as necessary to make sure you are ready for any future problems. Call UPS Protection/Automated Power for advice and to schedule service 800-755-0080.
For more info read “How to prepare your Data Center for natural disasters”.