Living in Oklahoma, you’re no stranger to power outages. It seems like the power goes out every other day during storm season! Did you know that power outages can affect your computer? It’s true! There are many different types of electrical outages, and each one can have a different effect on your computer.

Every business owner knows how important technology is to their business. If your computers take damage from power outages, it can be incredibly expensive to deal with. Keep reading to learn how power outages effect your business and how you can protect your technology.

Types of Electrical Outages

There are three main types of electrical outages: brownouts, blackouts, and surges.
  • Brownout: A brownout is a decrease in voltage that can occur when there is high demand for electricity. This can cause your computer to reset or shut down unexpectedly. Brownouts often occur during hot weather when air conditioners are running.
  • Blackout: A blackout is a complete loss of power. Storms frequently cause these. They can corrupt data on your hard drive or cause your computer to stop working altogether. You may have heard of the overall dangers of blackouts, like fires started by candles, or people being trapped in elevators. But blackouts can also damage your computer, so it’s important to be prepared.
  • Surges: Surges happen when there is a sudden increase in voltage. This can damage sensitive components in your computer, such as the motherboard or CPU. Surges can happen when lightning strikes nearby or when power is restored after a blackout.

How a Power Outage Can Damage Your Computer

Now that you know the different types of outages, let’s discuss how they can damage your computer.

As we mentioned before, brownouts can cause your computer to reset or shut down unexpectedly. This can lead to data loss or corruption. This can be detrimental to your business.

Blackouts can also corrupt data on your hard drive or cause your computer to stop working altogether. In addition, if you have a laptop, the battery may not be able to keep the computer running during a blackout.

Surges can damage sensitive components in your computer, such as the motherboard or CPU. This can lead to hardware failure and data loss which costs a significant amount of money to repair.

How to Protect Against Power Outages

Now that you know how power outages can affect your computer, let’s discuss how you can protect it.

One way to protect against power outages is to use an uninterruptible power supply (UPS). A UPS is a device that provides emergency power to your computer in the event of a power outage. This is one investment that can protect your business against data loss.

Another way to protect against power outages is to use a laptop. If you have a laptop, you can continue working during an outage as long as the battery has enough charge.

Finally, you should get a good surge protector for post-blackout power surges. A surge protector will help prevent damage to your computer from sudden increases in voltage. Make sure each computer in your office is connected to a surge protector to guard against computer damage.

iTology Has Tons of Experience

Your business’s technology is vital. iTology has the experience to help you protect it. If you’re in the market for IT services in Oklahoma, look no further than iTology. We have tons of experience helping businesses with their IT needs. Contact us today for a cybersecurity risk assessment! We would be happy to help you protect your computer from power outages.