Kroll Offers DR Tips

Ensure computers and servers are kept in a cool, dry area to minimize the risks of drive failure from overheating.

Check protection devices regularly. At least once a year you should inspect your power protection devices to make sure that they are functioning properly. Most good ones will have a signaling light to tell you when they are protecting your equipment properly.

Use dedicated circuits. Putting the computer on its own power circuit, so it isn't sharing the power with your air conditioner, greatly improves the power quality and insulates the PC from power sags when these devices are turned on.

Businesses with network servers should invest in some form of Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS), which uses batteries to keep servers running during power outages.

Lightning can be a significant problem during seasonal storms. Make sure to install a surge protector between the power source and the computer’s power cable – and spend the extra $20-$30 to get an actual surge protector, not a power strip.

Backups serve no useful purpose in a crisis if the data preserved on it isn’t current. Backups need to be tested regularly to ensure they are less likely to encounter problems.

Keep a back-up copy of your data offsite in a separate location from your computer and/or servers so that if one location is damaged, a copy will still exist.