What is a UPS?
Put simply, a UPS is a device that provides backup power when utility power fails, either long enough for critical equipment to shut down gracefully so that no data is lost, or long enough to keep required loads operational until a generator comes online. It conditions incoming power so that all-too-common sags and surges don’t damage sensitive electronic gear.
Why is power protection important?
No company can afford to leave its IT assets unprotected from power issues. Here are just a few of the reasons why:
• Even short outages can be trouble. Losing power for as little as a quarter second can trigger events that may keep IT equipment unavailable for anywhere from 15 minutes to many hours. And downtime is costly. Some experts believe the U.S. economy loses between $200 billion and $570 billion a year due to power outages and other disturbances.
• Utility power isn’t clean. By law, electrical power can vary widely enough to cause significant problems for IT equipment. According to current U.S. standards, for example, voltage can legally vary from 5.7 percent to 8.3 percent under absolute specifications. That means that what utility services promising 208-phase voltage actually deliver can range from 191 to 220 volts.
• Utility power isn’t 100 percent reliable. In the U.S., in fact, it’s only 99.9 percent reliable, which translates into a likely nine hours of utility outages every year.
• The problems and risks are intensifying. Today’s storage systems, servers and network devices use components so miniaturized that they falter and fail under power conditions earlier-generation equipment easily withstood.
• Generators and surge suppressors aren’t enough. Generators can keep systems operational during a utility outage, but they take time to startup and provide no protection from power spikes and other electrical disturbances. Surge suppressors help with power spikes but not with issues like power loss, under-voltage and brownout conditions.
• Availability is everything these days. Once, IT played a supporting role in the enterprise. These days it’s absolutely central to how most companies compete and win. When IT systems are down, core business processes quickly come to a standstill.
• Availability is everything, but power costs must be managed. The cost of power and cooling has spiraled out of control in recent years. Data center managers are typically held responsible for achieving high availability while simultaneously reducing power costs. Highly-efficient UPS systems can help with this goal, and products are available today that were not an option even a few years ago.
