April comes to a close with another round of devastating storms, and the people in Oklahoma, Kansas, Arkansas and Mississippi will have so much to do to get their lives back in order. These recent catastrophes serve to remind me again just how much damage Mother Nature can inflict on us. Without the tornadoes, here in our region we can still have high winds and torrential downpours that, while not destroying our homes, can knock out power and cause power surges that bring our businesses to a standstill. I’ve told you about the need for a backup power supply that will protect your computer network from surges, brownouts and blackouts. These units are relatively inexpensive at around $50 each, which is so much less than having to replace a computer. I’ve also told you that part of the Aptica Way is to keep an extra unit on site, so that your loss of power can be quickly restores and will not cause a huge loss of business revenue. You should also know that more and more businesses are keeping generators on site, and these generators will kick in to keep the clean power running after a loss-of-power event. Depending on the nature of your business, we will advise you as to whether or not you should invest in your own generator. If you go that route, Aptica will configure surge protectors to accept power from that generator. The generator solution is primarily for keeping servers running after a power outage, and these types of devices are known as SmartUps.With a SmartUp, you can buy a device that senses different power-related events. We can configure so that if an alert is triggered, your network devices will power down gracefully. Aptica’s monitoring system will send commands so your devices will shut down before the power runs out to cause a complete crash. If you don’t have a generator, Aptica can configure your network to do an automatic shut down if, say, the battery backup in your surge protector drains out in the middle of the night. Don’t wait for a weather disaster to protect your business network. We have so many ways on so many levels to help you keep your technology working, and you already know that we believe technology is a lever to help you gain profit. Questions? Give me a call and I can walk you through the options to keep your business running even after a weather event. Jason Newburg, Owner. 260.243.5100, x2001.