Crazy weather from flooding, snow, hurricanes, lightning storms and more can make safeguarding your business difficult. Power outages can sometimes come out of nowhere unexpectedly or under the duress of long duration bad weather. Here are five tips for battling rough inclement weather in the tri-state area.

Lightning strikes can wreck computers, hard drives, and network devices randomly. Acts of God in general can be unpredictable. To avoid losing your data, it would be a smart move to perform backups to an external device that you can keep with you when you are away from the office. Cloud backups are also key. The 3-2-1 Rule suggests that you keep multiple copies of your data so that you are always safe in the face of dangerous weather.

Another good practice is to have a failover ready to go in case your internet is down. A failover is having a secondary internet source available in the event one service goes out. Running a business that incorporates a VoIP phone system can have up to zero downtime if a failover is in place.

Having flashlights, AA batteries, extra chargers for your phone, and even a backup generator will allow you to keep your home and household appliances fully functioning. However, the truly heroic move is buying and installing battery backups.

If the power flickers on your Comcast or AT&T modem even for a second, you may be without internet, TV, or other essential services for several minutes. While you wait for the power company to restore your power, a battery backup protecting your modem and computers will reduce the impact of power surges during storms and prolong the life of your connected devices.

When there is a power surge, a battery backup can continue to provide power to your connected equipment during the outage. During a bad storm, this will give you enough time to save your work and shut down your computer if you need to.

If you are worried about flooding in your home or office, identify the areas that are especially vulnerable and make sure that your electronics are as far away from the ground as possible. You can use wire ties and shelves to not only protect your equipment from water damage, but also to keep it organized and protected from other incidents that may not be related to the weather.

When there is bad weather in the forecast, it is smart to save frequently and turn off and unplug unused electronics. If lightning strikes close enough to your building or house, it can directly affect its power. However, the accompanying high winds and pouring rain are much more likely to knock out your power. Turning off non-essential electrical equipment during inclement weather is a good starting point to avoiding catastrophes.

Snow days can lead to involuntary out-of-office days. Roads can be stockpiled with snow or debris for a long time. Remotely accessing your work makes this a non-issue. Performing office tasks from literally anywhere can make even a mandatory vacay day productive.