The UK is in the midst of a heatwave right now and yesterday (25th July 2019), temperatures reached highs of 38.1 degrees Celsius in some parts of the country.
Water pipes are bursting and trains are running slower for fear of tracks buckling, causing disruption to thousands of passengers.
But have you thought about the disruptions the weather can have on your IT systems.
And it’s not only the hot weather that we need to think about either. Storms are set to follow the heatwave, and if your IT systems aren’t adequately equipped to deal with these extreme weather conditions, you could find yourself in trouble.
We’ve put together a checklist of precautions to take to ensure minimal downtime for your business.
Heat
Make sure your servers are in tip top condition so they don’t overheat
- Keep them clean and dusted out. If this is something that you don’t currently do, contact us as we can help!
- A tidy cab is a happy cab (e.g. using the server room, cabinet to store paper work etc can insulate a server causing a fire risk).
- Make sure your servers are not over loaded. This will ensure they are running at optimum speed, reducing heat production.
- Planned power distribution will also help with a reduction in heat, and reduces the risk of fire or electrical overloading.
Lightning
Are your servers protected against a lightning strike?
- Lightning strikes to your phone lines can travel into your network if they’re not protected.
- Lightning strikes on power lines can travel into your sockets and into your systems if not protected.
Powercuts
Could you ride a power outage?
- Make sure you are battery-backed up via UPS (Uninterruptable Power Supply).
- Provide constant power to critical systems
Internet Backups
Would you lose business if your internet was interrupted?
- Consider a backup internet such as a secondary 4G device.
- Upgrade to fibre to the premise if available. Lightning cannot travel down fibre lines.
Server Backups
Protect your information by backing up your servers
- If the worst happens, you should ensure you have multiple backup locations and types.
- A backup and restoration plan would also assist in an emergency.
Aircon
Is your server room temperature controlled?
- If appropriate, an air-conditioned room will allow full temperature control.
- Server room monitoring, such as temperature monitoring can also alert you if the temperature does start to rise.
Planned Maintenance
Maintain your server to ensure prime operation
- Keeping your server up to date with the latest firmware can help with internal cooling control.
- A regular ‘eyeball’ check will ensure no flashing red lights or other issues that may cause down-time.
If you would like to discuss any of the above, just give us a call on 03300 020 000
