Tuesday 22 May 2012

Get Your Business Ready for the Rainy Season

Contributed by Guillaume Foutry

Doing business in Liberia is not necessarily easy, but one element is now making it a bit harder for the next few months: the rainy season. How can the rain be a problem? It becomes a problem when it rains more than five times what it rains in London or twice in Mumbai. And most of this happens in 6 months.

The rain accentuates all the problems inherent to Liberia: The roads get worse (especially up-country), the power cuts are more frequent, the Internet slows down, people show up even later at meetings, etc. So in a nutshell, it gets more difficult to get things done.

However at NATC, we have been through several rainy seasons and we know how to handle it. Here are some recommendations:
  • Get a surge protector: if you do not have one already, we strongly recommend you get one to protect electronics.
  • Have a power back up: Having an APC is a big plus as it enables you to keep on working during the power cuts.
  • Travel waterproof: Carry plastic bags in your bag or pocket: If you get stranded in the middle of a storm, you can keep your mobile phone and laptop dry.
  • Check your electrical installation: As there are more power surges, it is better to perform an assessment of your system to make sure it is safe for your electronics.
  • Check your office insulation: this is not the right time to discover there is a leak in your ceiling, just above your desktop computer.

We give you these advices to help you keep your organization/project on track. If you need any special assistance or have new requirements, please let us know. For us, rain or no rain, this is business as usual and we are here to help.