Seras IT is a managed service provider serving the greater Midlands area of Columbia, S.C. We routinely install, manage, and monitor computer systems and networks from Orangeburg to Irmo and Lexington to Forest Acres. Going into the summer months, this area of the Midlands experiences sudden thunderstorms on a weekly basis, because of this we normally see an increase this time of year with power failure in electronic devices.
What should I look for that might indicate a power surge or loss concern?
Any power-on or system startup failures or lockups
Blank screen and complete loss of power
“File Corrupt” errors from any of your applications
Unplanned rebooting or intermittent lockups occur during normal operation
Sudden loss of ethernet internet service, but wireless still works
Errors in the integrity of the digital data in the computer or other memory-type
Internal or external hard drive malfunction
Unusual levels of heat due to fan malfunction
Obvious symptoms that will lead you to suspect you have a faulty power supply are your computer is simply dead, you are seeing smoke at the outlet or computer location, or you are hearing popping noises when the PC is turned on. Thunderstorms can also be responsible for downed power lines leading to external power surges; before the power goes out, voltage along power lines often fluctuates wildly, causing dangerous power surges.
The sudden storms rolling through this time of year also come with the inevitable lightning strikes which can wreak havoc on your electronic devices via creating extreme power surges. According to the National Lightning Safety Institute, 1 out of every 200 homes will be hit with an extreme power surge this year. NLSI - CLICK HERE
Protection is cheap, easy, and secure!
To help combat this threat we suggest layering surge protectors at your home or office. The first layer in this protection plan would be to call your local electrician and have them install a whole-home surge protector directly at the main fuse box to the home or office. Having accomplished this you can move on to the second layer of surge protection that is more DIY friendly and comes in the form of the surge protectors you can buy at any electronic store. We call these point-of-use surge protectors, and they are designed to protect one or more appliances by acting as a buffer between your electrical outlet and the electronic device it is sending power to. In addition, these protectors will also aid against internal power surges caused by your larger home and office appliances. When these appliances switch off, all the electricity it had been receiving suddenly has no where to go. This results in a brief increase in voltage throughout the home’s wiring, and anything hooked up to your home’s electrical system can be damaged by this surge. Many of our business customers include a battery backup in their power grid to reduce the potential for corruption within a server or other critical devices during sudden loss of power.
Regardless of what your technology environment includes, our technicians are always ready to design a strategy, implement a plan, and manage your critical network devices. Contact Us today for more information!
