Last weekend we had a storm warning go out over basically all of Sweden. It was going to be the worst storm in recent years, but in the end it faded out into quite an anti-climax.

That, however, got us thinking of how a few simple measures can normally spare most companies from the consequences of a big storm. This is extra important when you supply a service online, but also applies to the local office network and other equipment. It all comes down to common sense measures to prevent power outages and/or loss of Internet connectivity to affect the daily runnings of your business.

These are some things that companies should think of before, during and after a storm.

1. Print a list of on-call numbers to important suppliers.
2. Make an extra backup of all important data.
3. Make sure you have an on-call person standing by, in case this isn’t your usual routine.
4. Check your backup power before the storm arrives.
5. Shut down unnecessary equipment to conserve power in case you have limited backup power.
6. Monitor servers and services and make sure you receive alerts in case of an incident.
7. Once power is back up after an outage, make sure all servers and services are working correctly.

It should be noted that serious web hosting companies and large data centers already have most of these covered, plus a number of other measures such as redundant power supplies and backup power, redundant Internet connections, etc.

Also note that we are not talking about cataclysmic events here, like volcano eruptions or big earth quakes. When the earth disappears below your feet, you are excused and can leave the office running like crazy.

Pingdom’s Podcast is a weekly show about Internet, web, security, and mobile stuff.

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