Backup Power

Other Backup Power Protection Products

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Depending on the amount of battery backup power you need, as measured in minutes or hours, a battery backup unit may not be the only or best solution. 

You may need a generator as well. If you require several minutes, or up to a few hours, a UPS backup power unit may be adequate. 

However, if you require backup power for potentially several hours or several days, consider investing in a generator to supplement your battery backup unit.

In addition, if your power source is extremely unreliable, you may need to supplement your surge protectors and UPS units with a line conditioner. 

Leading power protection product vendors, such as APC, offer line conditioners, also known as power conditioners or automatic voltage regulators.

 

Installing and safely transporting a backup power UPS

When you first unpack a new backup power UPS, the first thing you’ll likely need to do is reconnect the ground wire. Each UPS product is just a little different, so be sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions and illustrations included in the box. UPS manufacturers disconnect the ground wire during shipment, for safety reasons.

If you need to return the backup power UPS to the manufacturer for warranty service, or to ship the unit to another location, be sure to disconnect the ground wire before repackaging the unit.

Backup Power Action Items

Does each PC have at least a basic business grade surge protector?

Have you verified that your surge protectors are really surge protectors and not just glorified power strips?

Does the surge protector include a financial guarantee from the manufacturer, which is tied to the product's performance?

Are PCs with valuable data or mission critical software applications protected by UPS backup power units?

Are all servers equipped with UPS backup power units?

Are these backup power UPS units able to send alerts to users and shut down the server automatically during a prolonged power outage?

Have you checked the UPS backup power vendor's sizing tools to make sure your selected UPS unit is adequate for both your runtime requirements and the intended combination of computer system, monitor and peripherals?

Is the UPS unit's intelligent monitoring capability compatible with your available interface port and operating system?

Do you need more than an hour or two of backup power? Have you considered adding a generator to supplement your power protection efforts?

Do you have extremely unreliable utility power that could benefit from a voltage regulator or line conditioner?

Are you aware of the need to disconnect the ground wire before transporting a UPS backup power unit?

 

 

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