How to keep SMBs open for business – even when the power goes out – Computerworld

Internet outages are bad news for small- to medium-sized businesses. Point-of-sale systems won’t work when connections fail, meaning transactions can’t go through and revenue is lost until service is restored. And, as we know from the news, the situation is only getting worse with the increasing frequency of intense storms that tear down lines.

SMBs know they can ill afford downtime because their tight operating margins limit their tolerance for lost revenue. Those same restrictions place it beyond their means to hire in-house technical know-how and build infrastructure that could keep them up and running.

It’s a serious financial issue that needs to be confronted. Internet downtime that freezes retail businesses exacts a hefty toll. A store with annual revenue of $250,000 that’s open eight hours a day, six days a week, suffers an average loss of about $100 every hour it can’t process in-store and online purchases. That’s not counting the cost of recovery and paying employees for idle time.

In addition to hurting revenue, these outages frustrate customers and damage reputation, to say nothing of the stress they bring.

Wireless backup offers a solution

Fortunately for shops and restaurants that don’t want these interruptions to stop them from serving customers, there is a good remedy: wireless backup.

The obvious advantage is wireless access doesn’t rely on a cable attached to the building. Wireless networks operate over separate, cellular infrastructure that can survive when wired connections don’t. While electrical service faces a similar risk from downed power lines, providers can deal with by installing backup equipment outfitted with its own battery-based power supply.

The backup gear inside the building kicks in automatically when primary services go out and shuts down again when they return, so shop owners need not intervene. And for cost-conscious SMBs, the price of these services can be quite small when compared to the potential losses.

One such service, Business Connection Backup from Optimum, includes a failover router at customer sites with an integrated power supply that supports eight hours of battery-powered uptime.

The router connects to multiple cellular providers and automatically chooses the strongest signal. It can maintain an internet link for up to six wired or Wi-Fi devices that are deemed most important, such as telecommunication and point-of-sale equipment. So, while a café may not be able to provide Wi-Fi service to all its customers, it could still handle credit card payments and mobile orders.

At about a dollar a day, it’s relatively inexpensive versus the hourly cost of an inability to process online and in-store purchases.

Wireless internet backup can be an effective and reliable service that relieves the burdens of downtime when internet connections fail, helping owners run their businesses efficiently and keep their customers happy. Given the daunting hourly cost of business-wide outages, wireless backup is a practical insurance policy. And like any good insurance policy, it can bring peace of mind. 

To learn more about how to protect your business from power or internet disruptions, visit the Optimum Business Connection Backup page.