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July 27, 2001

Blackout

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As Californians have learned, and others will soon face, the electricity supply can no longer be taken for granted. For high-tech careerists, this is indeed a heavy blow. Your work depends on electricity for its very existence. It is a painful lesson to find that you are not in control of the most basic part of your industry. While there is very little you can do to prevent blackouts yourself, there are several ways to prepare for the disruptions they cause. You owe it to your clients and yourself to do everything that you can.

Your own power?

The ability to generate electricity is probably the domain of only the largest and the smallest computer users. Large companies can afford the capital expenses of installing automatic diesel generators to power data centers and server farms although they may be loathe to spend the hundreds of thousands of dollars to do so. They must weigh the needs of their clients and the costs that a single blackout might bring. For most companies, the prevention of a single blackout can pay for the entire system.

Smaller users, usually in home offices, might find that a single gasoline generator might serve their needs for short periods of time. Unfortunately, these systems usually don't provide any sort of automatic power switching capabilities so they won't prevent a blackout to your office, but they can get you back to work more quickly.

Mid-sized companies, though, are going to find few solutions for their power needs. They will probably find themselves priced out of most generator solutions. They will need to concentrate on mitigation strategies instead.

Mitigation

If you want to help insure that your company will lose as little money as possible during a blackout you must make preparations today. Your goal is to keep people functioning even if they lose access to computerized data. Customers will only accept "the computer is down" so many times before they look elsewhere.

First and foremost, make sure that each and every piece of equipment is equipped with a UL-rated surge protector, not just a power strip. As you probably know, when power is cut and restored, it is not very stable. There can often be spikes and brownouts associated with blackouts. Surge protectors will offer your first line of protection against these damaging events.

Make note of any equipment that tries to "power on" when power is restored. You will want to make sure this equipment is turned off during a blackout and only restarted when the power is restored and stable. I have seen hard disks start to "scream" when hit with fluctuating power. It is not a happy sound. More importantly, the blackout is costing your company enough money, you don't want to be hit with replacement and repair costs on top of that.

Second, build procedures, today, that will allow your fellow employees to continue working even if there is a blackout. If they need access to company records, start printing out paper reports that will allow them to answer basic questions. Perhaps you could have 1 PC hooked to a generator to allow access to the information. Certainly, this is not perfect, but it could provide you enough ability to get through a blackout with as little pain as possible.

Third, make plans for telephone service. Most offices use PBX-based phone systems that require electricity to function. You will need to develop some method for providing minimal telephone service during the blackout, if only to inform callers that you are closed due to the blackout. This might mean simply plugging in one phone and an answering machine in the closet where the telephone lines enter your office. Don't forget this important technology when developing your blackout plans.

You need to take whatever precautions you can for one simple reason. If technology is damaged during a blackout, you will, rightly or wrongly, be called on the carpet to explain why. You will have people coming to you looking for solutions to keep their companies from circling the drain due to blackout-related losses. Your ability to reduce losses and mitigate disruptions could either build your career or end it.

Blackouts, both in California and elsewhere, are going to be a fact of your high-tech life, at least until the heat of summer abates. Take any steps you can take to make sure that your career doesn't blackout along with the lights.

about this column.

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Douglas E. Welch is a freelance writer and computer consultant in Van Nuys, California. Readers can discuss career issues with other readers by joining the Career Opportunities Discussion on Douglas' web page at: http://www.welchwrite.com/dewelch/ce/

He can reached via email at douglas@welchwrite.com

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