Your business may run all year round however, different season mean different precautions and different focuses. Let me explain. Effectively, you need to summer-proof your business. Be aware of the impact of summer holidays on your staffing, of school holidays on your footfall or the amount of disposable income your target audience might have. Also, make sure that you summer-proof your business tech. Introduce new strategies to keep your business afloat during the scorching heat and keep your data safe. Beware of the heatwave backlash for your business!
It’s Too Hot for Your Tech
If my phone gets cranky and the fan on the laptop goes into overdrive then the tech in an office is most definitely going to need keeping an eye on! It’s a good idea to introduce cooling systems into the office. Laptops tend to get hot at any time of the year; but in a warm room, your devices are more likely to shut down to prevent overheating. You need to introduce an effective ventilation system – from laptop stands that let the air circulate to quality HVAC units. Additionally, if you run your own data centre or server network in-house, you’ll need to consider professional cooling methods to protect your IT room. Submersion cooling is a favourite among global companies as it brings in coolant flow instead of air flow. It’s practical and can save you considerable power consumption too. How much effort goes into cooling your tech will depend on the business that you are in. I switch a fan on, plan my summer and hope for the best.
Summer-Proof Your Business: Keeping your Infrastructure Safe
Keeping your day-to-day tech cool often requires restructuring the office. Your devices need not only access to ventilation but also a dedicated cooling schedule to make sure they don’t overheat in summer. It’s a good idea to work closely with an IT consulting expert at this stage to understand how a change of structure can reduce the pressure on laptops, printers, fax devices, and other IT equipment in the office. Introducing a cloud network, for instance, will decrease the need for printing. Moving equipment within the room and assigning IT tasks can also maximise ventilation for each device.
Summer-Proof Your Business: Seasonal Staff Can Put You at Risk
Last but not least, if you intend to work with temporary staff over the summer, you need to make sure you stay on top of data protection requirements. Your temps should receive appropriate training if they are to handle data as part of their roles. Additionally, you should assign a data controller to monitor personal data processes. Moreover, seasonal employees should be carefully vetted – you can’t afford to risk a data breach because you didn’t take the time to evaluate each employee. This may sound OTT but GDPR experts would disagree.
The summer heat is not without danger for businesses. Your technology is more vulnerable to breakdowns and data breaches in the summer. Whatever your line of work make sure you assess hot weather risks to tech and of course people and act accordingly. My current summer plan is a Manhattan ceiling fan in the office and some paperweights. Some of us clearly need more specialised cooling that others. Just make sure that you do all that you can to summer-proof your business.
