While the world is watching Amazon, Salesforce and other global enterprises deal with network outages, there are other outages to be aware of for the regular Josephine Schmo’s of this world and their technology: the electrical kind.
We also need to be wary of extreme heat as the Northeast United States, not to mention other parts of the world, deal with heat waves and extreme temperatures. Additionally, it’s time to prepare for hurricane season. Oh, by the way, don’t forget about forest fires and tornadoes.
So do you have enough reasons to look into protecting your technology? There are a few ways to go about ensuring that electrical outages and extreme weather leaves your devices and appliances in working-order.
In basic terms, when power comes back on, it can surge through sockets and straight to appliances and devices, so invest in a surge protector. Surge protectors allow you to plug in multiple devices and function as the barrier for the spike in electricity that can occur when the lights come back on.
A surge can destroy the inner workings of a computer, but the most solid way to ensure against surges is to keep your computer unplugged.
Heat waves might not seem too detrimental to technology, but consider the fact that your devices require fans in order to cool down during process. Apple (News - Alert) has said that heat is the most detrimental element to an iPhone battery. So actively protect your devices from the sun a.k.a. don’t leave your phone out on your beach towel.
And just like babies and dogs, devices will suffer in enclosed vehicles that sit in the sun for extended periods of time.
Some reviews have noted that some smartphones actually come with sensors that indicate if the device is overheating (useful unless you’re on a vacation in the Sahara). There are also temperature monitoring systems available for installing to make sure, if your computer does have to be out in heat, that it does not overheat. Ideally, devices should reside at normal room temperature of 72 degrees Fahrenheit.
And, if you haven’t heard it enough, in terms of data storage, as a tried-and-true statement, you should back up your files on an external hard drive should all systems come crashing to a halt.