Summertime and the Lightening is Dangerous

I hope that you are enjoying a good summer, but we need to remember that we are in the thick of lightening season. You should take all recommended precautions to protect yourself from lightening, but you should also take some precautions to protect your computer and data. According to the National Lightning Safety Institute nature’s light show causes nearly $2 billion dollars in just computer and data damage every year in the United States.

Most of us think of lightening entering a building via electrical lines, but there are other ways as well. I am have seen lightening enter on telephone lines, television cable, and direct entry into a building. I have personally witnessed lightening enter a structure on three occasions. Once I changed my shorts, we found widespread damage in each case though out the buildings. Oddly enough most of the damage was not via the electrical lines, but actually via computer network cabling and telephone lines. I believe it is because these systems are never grounded as well as the electrical system in a building.

There are some steps that you can take to limit the damage:

1. Install a GOOD surge protector on each piece of electrical equipment. You need to look for more than a power strip. A good surge protector should cost between $40 and $80, and it must include replacement value insurance for your equipment. Locate a surge protector that includes protection for phone, cable, and/or data lines as needed. Do not forgot the small but expensive devices such as your credit card machine and postal printer.
2. I also like to plug my cell phone into a surge protector. I know that chances are slim for damage, but I would hate to have to replace an expensive PDA/phone due to an errant spike. The same goes for notebook computers. I generally go on battery on my notebook computer during a storm.
3. Check the current surge protectors once a year. Be sure that the target equipment is still plugged into them, and if they have an indicator light check that it is illuminated.
4. Protect computers and servers with uninterpretable power supplies (UPS). Even small electrical interruptions can wreak havoc with software including Windows and Outlook. If the outage catches the computer at just the wrong moment, corrupted data could prevent your computer from restarting. Connect the UPS to the computer using the USB cable and install the software if included. Most units on the market will shut down Windows based computers before the battery runs out of charge. Check the batteries every six months by testing via the included software. Servers and mission critical systems should be checked on a monthly basis.
5. Avoid placing computers and servers on the same electrical circuit as appliances and air conditioners. These devices can cause low voltage on the circuit when they start.

You might be thinking – why not just unplug electrical devices. That is the surest way to protect against damage, but many times we forget or a storm sneaks up while we are away from home or the office. With the low-cost of today’s protection it is best to purchase the proper equipment and insurance.