I talk about this every year, but it still needs to be said again and again. Lightning can and does kill electronics. Taking precautions can save your devices.
Every year, thousands of people have to make a claim with their homeowner’s insurance due to lightning strikes that destroy their electronics. If these electronics are computers, the loss might even be greater than money if they lose precious data that can’t be replaced. Hopefully all of you have backups in place for that, but that is not what I am talking about today.
Today, I want to focus on protecting from power surges that can send too much electricity through your devices and actually destroy them. Lightning is a very dangerous thing and it can happen at almost any time.
Any electronic device in your household (computers, stereos, printers, televisions, routers, gaming systems and anything else that is plugged into an electric outlet) should be plugged into a surge protector instead. A surge protector is similar to a power strip except that it has a protection built into it that will cut the circuit to the devices if there is a dangerous amount of electricity going through the surge protector.
All surge protectors are power strips, but not all power strips are surge protectors. When purchasing a strip make sure it also offers surge protection. Many will also offer a warranty that includes an amount of protection for the devices connected if the surge fails. This protection can take the place of using your insurance in many situations. When shopping for surge protectors, look on the packaging for this type of added protection. This can save you from an insurance rate increase for a small claim.
I think most people have surge protectors for their electronics that are stationary like desktop computers, televisions, and printers, but many people forget about phone chargers and even laptops since they get plugged into the closest outlet whenever needed, instead of a permanent spot that has a surge connected. These devices can be affected by lightning just as much as the stationary devices, and might be more vulnerable since they are not stationary.
All of us should get into the habit of plugging phone chargers into a surge before charging our lifeline devices. I also recommend adding a surge protector to your laptop bag, so you always have one handy even when you are not at home. Lightning can strike at a coffee shop just as easily as your home. Plus it might be helpful to be able to plug in more than one device at the coffee shop sometimes.
You spend a lot of money on these devices, why not spend a little more to protect them.
I noticed a trend last year. I have two kinds of customers. Those that I see a few times a year and those I only see once every few years. The ones I see often usually have very small issues and they are easily solved. The ones I see every few years usually have larger issues and are much more difficult to solve. This isn’t always the case, but it is a trend.
Based on this, I have combined together the items that seem to come up most often and I am now offering a semi-annual maintenance plan to keep these things from becoming a major problem for my customers.
These items encompass:
Administration of the computer which can keep my customers from getting locked out of their computers due to corrupt files, bad updates, and encryption.
Data issues include backups, space usage, and malware/viruses.
Computer Tune up to ensure all updates happen, only necessary programs are running, and everything is working in the most efficient way.
I have found that my customers’ computers last longer and work better when I keep up with these things.
I have started this service with an initial on-site service to get everything set up and then the future visits can be completed remotely, which is more convenient and cost effective. My goal is to remove as many emergency calls as possible. Since many of these things, when ignored, become emergencies, this should help everyone.
If you are interested in this service, give me a call or email duane@callduane.com.
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