Summer on the West Coast of the United States is glorious in many ways. We get to enjoy the Pacific Ocean, so many lush forests, endless scenic drives, lively outdoor concerts, and days filled with sunlight. The unfortunate truth about summer here is wildfires. Up and down the West Coast, communities battle wildfires on both public and private land, and even if your own home or town is not at risk from the flames, millions of us feel the fallout. Smoke clouds the sky, events are canceled, burn bans are enacted, and water use is discouraged. When it comes to technology, wildfire season poses two distinct risks for businesses.
The first is power outages. Wildfires can cause unpredictable power outages over large areas, much like winter storms. Fires can bring down power lines on their own, but state and local governments can also decide to cut power in order to aid firefighting efforts. As a small business, you can prepare yourself by investing in backup power for your mission-critical machines, such as a generator, solar panels, and large-capacity batteries.
The second comes in the form of internet outages. While similar to power outages, internet failures can reach further and be harder for businesses to cope with. The internet, much like electricity, requires a network to move through. If the main hub in your region is affected, you may experience disruption. Internet cables can be cut or dropped just like power lines, and fiber lines are buried in the ground and can also be destroyed by fire.
The best way to prepare for a long-term internet outage is to invest in alternatives for your mission-critical equipment. Hot spots are small mobile machines that convert the cellular network into a micro-WiFi network. They come from a wide variety of carriers, with a wide variety of features. Before investing, make sure you take the time to clarify exactly how a hot spot would be used during an outage, and research the limitations of what you might be purchasing. Satellite internet is another option to work around traditional internet outages, but it is not without its own drawbacks. Weather, smoke and other atmospheric conditions can block signal.
When managing an internet outage, it is worthwhile investigating if your workspaces or software offer locally synced data. If available, this means you can continue to work in your system of choice, offline, and all the changes you made will sync once internet connectivity returns.
Taking the time to create an emergency plan for your business now can make a huge difference when adverse conditions do arise.
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