Power Protection FEATURED ARTICLE

In part one of our series this week on the basics of power protection, we discussed what kind of power problems businesses can encounter including blackouts, brownouts, surged and spikes. Additionally, we covered the basics of surges and what surge protectors can do for non-critical equipment such as printers and other devices that are not required during a full outage.

Continuing this momentum, we will now discuss the more server forms of power outages, and what kind of technology and precautions are needed to prepare for them. Industry expert, Minuteman UPS/Para Systems’ (News - Alert) Director of Marketing, Bill Allen, explains everything we need to know in the company’s newest edition of its power learning series.

Allen explains that surges and surge protectors only represent a small fraction of the kind of scenarios and total power problems that can occur, adding that a more versatile device is required to guard your mission-critical equipment against more harsh forces that can lead to long-term effects.

Allen kicks off by discussing Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPS), which is a very standard and common protection solution for critical equipment and data. “Uninterruptible Power Supplies, or UPS’s, provide protection for critical devices from all power problems. These units utilize surge protection hardware, as well as backup batteries to ensure that useable power is always available in critical devices.”

We are then given the different types of UPSs available, including:

Standby UPSs: These protect from power problems by switching to battery power during over voltages, brownouts and blackouts, Allen explains, adding that they are the most basic and cost-effective UPS technology. “These units are ideal for small loads, such as desktop work stations, network switches and hubs, and small security and DVR camera systems,” Bill explains.

Next is line-interactive UPS models, which utilize an automatic voltage regulator (AVR) during over voltages or brownouts, Allen says, and use batteries only in the case of blackouts. This model boasts longer runtimes and battery life span, offering larger capacities to support greater loads, such as servers and large network devices and wide ranging security equipment requiring longer runtime.

And lastly, for large, mission-critical equipment such as industrial machines and high-end servers that are most sensitive, true on-line UPSs will get the job best done, Allen assures. “These units feature hardware that seamlessly transfers from utility to battery power, ensuring the smoothest transition possible during an outage. Most on-line UPSs also offer the ability to add extended runtime battery packs for extreme runtimes.”

So there you have it! Everything you ever wanted or needed to know about power protection and backup solutions presented by Minuteman. To watch the video for yourself, check it out below.

Additionally, Minuteman is currently offering an Instant Rebate Program on many of its esteemed power protection solutions – many which have been discussed here today, such as its EnterprisePlus and Endeavor Series UPSs, as well as its surge products, power distribution units and much more.

Click here to check it all out now!