Posts Tagged “APC”

I’ve worked with so many clients over the past little while and I’m always surprised how otherwise risk-averse business people can sometimes overlook a simple but necessary technology solution. The technology I’m referring to is an Uninterruptible Power Supply or UPS for short. A UPS is a device that you plug your technology into and the UPS in turn is plugged into your power outlets. The UPS will not only provide you with clean uninterruptible power to your workstation or server, but it automatically regulates the voltage going into your valuable equipment. This assures you that your equipment will not be stressed by the random power fluctuations and other power events that are common from your utility.

Just how common are random power fluctuations and intermittent power dropouts?

You may think that if you live in a big city or in the downtown core, that the power quality is sufficient enough not to worry about. The truth, is that random power events are quite common, no matter where you live. In many installations across the city, I’ve seen what can happen when a client doesn’t have the proper power management technologies at their facility. In my computer lab, I roughly experience about 4-6 major power events a year. I define any power event as a major power event if it requires my UPS technology to switch over to battery power. This could include a complete loss of power (blackout) a temporary voltage drop (brownout). Sometimes the loss of power may be only a few seconds or in the worst case, many hours. In addition to the major power events, additional power events that can adversely affect your equipment are a surge in electric current or slight voltage drops.

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