How to outwit Eskom

So many of our businesses are feeling the strain of Eskom's load shedding. The feelings of frustration and the inability to do anything about lost time and, at times, lost work are being expressed across all industries. Of course, concerns about delays and lost data become even bigger when dealing with your financial information.

Here are a few general tips on how you can outwit Eskom and keep on working:

1. Ensure all your laptops and mobile devices are fully charged. If you have a high quality laptop, the charge can last as long as 12 hours, though the norm should be around 2 hours, allowing you to keep working even if you are offline and in the dark. 

2. Review your software's export / import functionality. There is software available that allows you to export specific data into the familiarity of Excel; work on your figures, and re-import it. This means you can export the data you are working on before your area is load shed, and re-import it with changes into the system once the power returns.

As a side note, check the file format for importing data; using .xlsx as opposed to .csv. ensures no dropped leading zeros, no duplication and import functionality that is impossible using .csv files.

3. Check if your software has an auto-save function. How often do you hit “Control-S” while working on your documents? How much peace of mind will it provide knowing your data has been saved automatically if the load shedding schedule changes unexpectedly, and you didn’t hit Save after that last set of calculations?

4. If you are working offline, you may create additional documentation that relates to your budget. Check if you have the ability to upload supporting documentation at every step of the budget process, as this will allow you to provide full motivation and explanation for budgeted values when needed.

Your financial software can’t keep your power on for you, but it can keep you powering through with what you need to do, supporting you in keeping the lights on in your business in the longer term.