I
t’s that time of year again when ISPs (Internet Service Providers) all around the world perform their yearly maintenance, call it “Spring Cleaning” if you will.If you have been living under a rock and missed the stories on the news and the countless emails flying around for the last week or so, then this may come as a total surprise to you.
t’s that time of year again when ISPs (Internet Service Providers) all around the world perform their yearly maintenance, call it “Spring Cleaning” if you will.If you have been living under a rock and missed the stories on the news and the countless emails flying around for the last week or so, then this may come as a total surprise to you.
In the past, Internet Cleaning Day has taken place during a 24hr period, but due to new techniques, ISPs have managed to narrow it down to only 1 hour which they have conveniently scheduled for 12pm to 1pm in each time zone.
So today, at noon, before you leave your office for lunch, you should take some precautions to protect your electronics and fine furnishings from the chemicals that are blown through the lines. We have found that simply unplugging the CAT-5 cable from the back of your computer and placing it into a trashcan with a liner is best, but you can use an empty water bottle or even a coffee cup in a pinch. If using a coffee cup, or bottle though, you may want to put a layer of newspaper or other papers under it in case of any splashes or spills.
While normal analog phone systems are not going to be affected, VoIP systems WILL be… This is often overlooked! You should follow the same procedure if your business is using Voice over IP technology. If you are unsure, it is best to disconnect the cables and place in the same container as your network cables.
If you are using wireless devices, simply turning off the radio or disconnecting from all access points should work, but to be on the safe side, it never hurts to turn it off completely.