Power outages have become a daily reality for all South Africans, with Eskom suggesting that load-shedding could be implemented permanently for the next two years. This situation is wreaking havoc on sectors from agriculture to manufacturing and is also set to put business continuity and data quality at risk for those organisations reliant on the cloud.
This is according to Randall Thyssen: Senior Sage Consultant at integrated ICT solutions provider Exponant.
Thyssen explains: “When power is lost, data centres and other facilities that rely on electricity may be unable to access their data or perform other critical functions. This can be especially problematic for cloud-based backups, as these backups are typically stored in remote locations that may be affected by power outages.”
However, there are several strategies that can be used to mitigate this risk, he says.
One way to mitigate the risk of damage from power outages is to ensure that cloud-based backups are stored in multiple locations. This can help to ensure that data is still accessible even if one location is affected by a power outage. Additionally, using a combination of on-premises and cloud-based backups can also help to minimise the risk of data loss.
A useful strategy to mitigate the risk of damage from power outages is to use backup batteries and uninterruptible power supplies (UPS), which can provide temporary power to servers and other equipment in the event of an outage.
Thyssen says another important factor to consider is the type of cloud services you use. Services like AWS, Azure and Google Cloud offer various disaster recovery options that are specifically designed for power outages. These include services such as AWS Elastic Block Store (EBS) snapshots, Azure Site Recovery and Google Cloud Storage Nearline and Coldline. These services are designed to automatically replicate data across different regions, so even if one region is affected by a power outage, the organisation’s data will still be safe and accessible.
Thyssen also recommends using cloud-based software for continuity and productivity. Financial software like Sage Intacct automatically stores data as it is entered, reducing the risk of data being lost. Sage Intacct is widely trusted to automate and streamline key finance and accounting processes, and because it is cloud-based, users can simply move to an area with power and connectivity and resume their work in the event of a power and network outage. “It would be a complete waste of productivity if, for instance, hours of report writing do not get saved and you would be required to start the task from scratch,” he says.
In addition to these technical measures, it's also important to have a well-defined disaster recovery plan in place, Thyssen says. This plan should include procedures for how to respond to a power outage, as well as clear roles and responsibilities for different team members. It's also important to regularly test and update your disaster recovery plan to ensure that it remains effective.
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