Water Damage and Your IT Equipment

Here in Austin we've had some brutal storms recently, including heavy rains and flooding. Even if your business is insured against loss from natural disasters, having to replace all the equipment is a nightmare best avoided. Our IT managed systems team at Gravity Systems has some tips for helping you avoid water damage to your technology:

Place all components on shelves, carts or stands. That server or workstation sitting on the floor or carpet will be the first casualty of a flood. Multiply that by a whole roomful of floor-mounted computers, and you could be out of business in a big way. Invest in the proper server shelving and workstation stands to keep your hardware out of the water's way. Rolling carts are especially useful if you need to move that precious equipment in a hurry.

Elevate your outlets. If you have power bars or other outlets sitting on or near the floor of your facility, you're putting both your equipment and your people at risk. If these devices electrify the water, employees or emergency workers could receive fatal electrical shocks; even if no one is hurt, your electrical system may be ruined. Make sure all power bars and outlets are positioned along the walls at a reasonable height.

Have fans or dehumidifiers standing by. While industrial wet-vacs can help get the standing water out of your facility, you'll also want to draw any extra moisture out of the air if at all possible. Keep large fans and/or powerful dehumidifiers at the ready so you can dry the air the protect the many delicate parts of your IT components from corrosion and other damage.

Last but not least, remember to keep all your critical data backed up off-site. Ask us about our options for helping you make your future more “waterproof!”