How to prepare your business for power outages: a checklist for the winter of 2026–2027

For a business to continue operating during power outages, it’s not enough to simply purchase a charging station or set up a mobile internet connection. You need to identify critical processes, prepare alternative scenarios, and verify that the team can implement them in practice.

Before the winter of 2026–2027, you should:

• determine which processes must run continuously and which can be suspended;
• calculate backup power requirements and test alternative internet connections;
• ensure access to operational systems, documents, and digital signature tools;
• prepare procedures for handling payments, orders, and customers;
• test contingency plans and establish a procedure for resuming operations.

Let’s look at how to organize these preparations to minimize downtime and prevent the loss of important data.

Identify the critical processes and the acceptable downtime

Start not with the equipment, but with an analysis of your business processes. A power outage can shut down the cash register, deprive your team of access to the accounting system, or make it impossible to approve documents. Each situation requires a separate solution.

Make a list of critical processes and determine the following for each one:

• Consequences of a shutdown. What will happen if the process becomes unavailable: will shipments be disrupted, sales come to a halt, payment delays occur, or deadlines for fulfilling obligations be missed?
• Acceptable downtime. How long can the business operate without this process before significant problems arise?
• Required resources. What devices, systems, documents, and employees are needed to carry it out?
• Contingency plan. How can the task be completed if the primary method of operation is unavailable?
• Person in charge. Who initiates the contingency plan, and who will replace that person if necessary?

For example, a store can continue to accept orders without access to the main accounting system, but this requires a standardized method for temporarily recording them. An office can operate remotely if employees have access to documents and authorized personnel can approve and sign them remotely.

✅ Critical process assessment template

Do not set the same acceptable downtime for all processes. Priority depends on the consequences of a shutdown, maintenance requirements, and obligations to customers and partners.

The result of this stage should be a brief Business Continuity Plan (BCP). In it, identify critical processes, responsible parties, contingency plans, and the procedure for resuming operations. For a small company, a structured table and clear instructions are sufficient, provided they cover the main risks.

🛡️ What Is a business continuity plan (BCP)?

A business continuity plan (BCP) is a document that outlines predefined actions, responsible parties, and contingency plans in the event of disruptions. It helps a company maintain critical operations during unforeseen situations and resume normal operations afterward. Such a plan covers not only technical issues but also the unavailability of facilities, employees, documents, or communication channels.

A BCP does not have to be a complex, multi-page document. For a small business, a good first step might be a table listing key processes, responsible parties, and alternative ways of working.

How to Check Your Backup Power Supply

A backup power supply should ensure that specific equipment continues to operate for a specified period of time. Therefore, you should choose a charging station or generator only after assessing your business’s needs.

⚡ What you need to do

• Compile a list of critical equipment. Determine which devices are necessary to maintain core operations: routers, laptops, cash registers, servers, refrigerators, lighting, or production equipment.
• Estimate power consumption. Check the power ratings of the devices and determine which ones will be running simultaneously. This will help you estimate the required capacity of the backup power source.
• Determine the required runtime. Calculate how long the equipment needs to operate without mains power. To do this, consider not only the average duration of outages but also the time needed to complete critical operations.
• Test the backup equipment under load. Turn on the necessary devices simultaneously and verify that there is sufficient power and battery charge for the planned operating mode.
• Plan for maintenance and safety. Check the condition of batteries, cables, connections, and safety devices. Use generators in accordance with the manufacturer’s requirements, particularly regarding safe placement and ventilation.

A charging station may be sufficient for laptops and network equipment, but it may not meet the needs of manufacturing operations or refrigeration systems. A generator also does not automatically solve all problems: you must verify compatibility with the equipment and establish a safe connection procedure.

Separately, determine what the team will do if the backup power runs out sooner than expected. For example, you can shut down non-essential devices, complete ongoing operations, or move to another room to continue working.

Backup internet and communication channels

A backup power supply does not guarantee access to operational systems. For this to work, both the provider’s equipment and your own network devices must be operational, and the connection must provide access to the necessary services.

Check three things before winter.

• Primary connection. Check with your provider to see how their network operates during a power outage and whether your equipment requires an additional power source.
• Alternative connection. Test your mobile internet or a connection through another provider. Assess the signal quality specifically in your workspace.
• Access to systems. Connect via the backup channel and perform typical tasks: log into the HR system, view documents, and check that corporate services are functioning properly.

If you’re using a mobile router or smartphone for backup access, also check their battery life and whether they can connect the required number of devices.

Determine backup communication channels between employees in advance and prepare contact information for key suppliers. For customers, create message templates regarding schedule changes, order delays, or temporary service unavailability.

Access to documents and business systems

During outages, a business may lose access to important data not because of equipment failure, but because of its reliance on a specific computer, office, or employee.

To avoid this, check the following three aspects.

Data storage. Determine where contracts, invoices, delivery notes, customer data, and other critical files are stored. Important documents should not exist on just one work computer.

Backups. Determine what data needs to be backed up, how often this should be done, and who is responsible for the process. Verify not only that backups are created but also that information can be restored from them.

Access. Ensure that employees can log in to the necessary systems from a backup device. Verify that contact information for account recovery is up to date and that the necessary authentication methods are available.

Electronic document management helps you work with documents without physically transferring paper between the office and employees. For example, Vchasno EDO allows you to organize the exchange of electronic documents, while Vchasno QES enables you to sign them using a qualified electronic signature. This makes it possible to approve documents remotely, without being tied to a specific workstation.

If a document needs to be signed with a counterparty who does not use an electronic document management system, you can consider Vchasno Sign as a separate document signing solution.

Before any outages, verify that authorized employees have access to the necessary services and signing tools from backup devices. Also, determine in advance who will approve urgent documents and how the team will proceed if the primary communication channel becomes unavailable.

For companies that rely on regular deliveries and shipments, outages can complicate the exchange of orders with trading partners and the preparation of shipping documents. Vchasno EDI helps organize the electronic exchange of orders and other trade messages with partners. Vchasno TTN is designed to handle waybills in electronic format.

Team procedures during an outage

When a failure occurs, the team must understand what to do first and what can be postponed. This helps avoid chaotic decisions and situations where different employees perform the same task repeatedly.

Store the instructions in a location accessible to the team via backup devices, and also provide critical contacts and procedures in a format accessible without the internet.

Separately, designate who will replace a key employee if they are unable to be reached. Such a person must know the procedures and have the necessary access privileges.

If employees are working remotely, verify that they can perform critical tasks from another location. Separately, plan how HR documents will be processed if the employee, HR representative, and manager are in different locations. Physically passing papers between them can delay the approval and processing of documents. Vchasno Kadry helps organize HR document workflow remotely, without the need to physically transfer paper documents between participants in the process.

Sales, payments, and fiscal reporting during power outages

For stores, cafes, service companies, and online stores, outages can affect the entire service cycle: from receiving an order to processing payment, issuing a receipt, and handing the merchandise over to the customer.

Determine in advance how your team will respond in each of these situations.

⚠️ If the cash register or PRRO system isn’t working

Check what functions the POS system offers in the event of a power outage or internet outage, whether a corresponding operating mode is provided, and how operations resume once connectivity is restored.

The procedure depends on the specific software solution, its settings, and the nature of the outage. Therefore, do not assume that all transactions can be automatically processed later or that every POS system supports the same offline mode.

For each point of sale, prepare instructions explaining:

• how to check if the POS system is available;
• which transactions are permitted in a specific scenario;
• how to proceed if a receipt was not generated or the transaction status is unknown;
• how to reconcile transactions after operations resume.

🚫 If the primary payment method is unavailable

Consider an alternative that fits your company’s sales model. Depending on the situation, this could be another available payment method, such as payment via a link.

If you plan to use Tap to Phone, check your smartphone’s compatibility, ensure you have the necessary software, and review the payment service’s terms of use. This scenario does not eliminate all risks: it may also require electricity, an internet connection, and access to payment infrastructure.

Regardless of the payment method you choose, the process for accepting payments and recording them for tax purposes must comply with legal requirements.

To automate checkout processes, check out the Vchasno Kasa solutions for retail and online stores.

What to consider for different types of businesses

There is no single contingency plan that works for all companies. After reviewing your core processes, supplement your plan with risks specific to your business.

How to test your plan before winter

Just because you have a procedure doesn’t mean it will work in a real-life situation. Conduct a trial run or a short training exercise during which the team can test contingency plans.

During the test, simulate several scenarios:

• There’s a power outage at the office. Is there enough backup power for critical equipment?
• The main internet connection is down. Can the team connect via an alternative method and access the necessary systems?
• The person in charge is unreachable. Does their replacement know what to do?
  A document needs to be approved urgently. Can the entire process be completed remotely?
• Work has resumed after an outage. Does the team know how to check for pending transactions, payments, and documents?

Based on the test results, document what worked, where difficulties arose, who will address the issues, and when a follow-up review will take place.

There’s no need to test every possible scenario right away. Start with the processes whose interruption would have the greatest impact on the company’s operations and customer service.

Checklist for business readiness for the winter of 2026–2027

Save this list and use it to prepare your team.

How Vchasno services help during outages

Electronic document management, electronic signatures, HR services, the exchange of commercial documents, and software-based point-of-sale systems help organize critical processes without excessive reliance on paper documents or the physical presence of employees.

Vchasno solutions can be used to digitize specific stages of work — from document approval and HR processes to order exchange, preparation of shipping documents, and settlements with customers.

At the same time, digitization does not eliminate the need for backup power, alternative internet access, and pre-tested procedures. To minimize the risk of downtime, identify critical processes, prepare contingency plans, and test them before winter sets in.

The main goal of preparation is not to anticipate every possible situation, but to identify critical risks, develop realistic alternatives, and test them before they are needed.