Power Protection FEATURED ARTICLE

In addition to all the snow this weekend, Connecticut was also hit by strong winds that have caused thousands of people and businesses to lose power. The danger may not be over yet either: the National Weather Service has put a wind advisory in place until 6 p.m. this evening. Winds peaked at speeds of 54 miles per hour at White Plains Airport, 48 miles per hour at Sikorsky Airport, and around 40 miles per hour around Oxford and Danbury.

Between Eversource and United Illuminating, there are currently over 10,000 customers in Connecticut without power. The outages are spread out amongst the southern Connecticut towns, including Greenwich, Danbury, Bridgeport, and Shelton. A number of schools are currently without power, and all four of those towns have large commercial areas that furnish many businesses.

The wild weather in Connecticut the last few years should show how fickle having electricity can really be. Between high winds, blizzards, tropical storms, and flooding, a number of significant weather events have rocked towns across the state recently. Having to deal with losing power has become more of a norm than ever for families and business owners alike.

However routine it may have become, losing power can still be a major headache for businesses. Power surges that come with blackouts can damage servers, alter the hardware of computers, and erase data and other important information. One poorly-timed blackout can wipe out an entire day’s work if business owners are not careful.

Businesses need to invest in power protection for their companies. Surge protectors can help diffuse power surges and protect valuable hardware. Cloud backups can also be very valuable to keep data in various locations, mitigating the chances that blackouts create critical damage. Especially in Connecticut, where the densely packed forests increase the risk that downed trees and tree limbs can destroy power lines and take out power, businesses need to look at ways to protect their hardware and data from the accompanying surges.