Power Protection FEATURED ARTICLE

The entire U.S. has been experiencing some pretty unusual and severe weather over the last few years. And technology and extreme weather events are never a good mix, at least from a power standpoint. Power protection is absolutely paramount when it comes to keeping technology systems and networks up and running properly. While much is made of the importance of power protection in business organizations, it is equally important at home.

Minuteman Power Technologies recently published a blog post addressing the importance of power protection in the home. The company’s Western Region Sales Manager, Mark McGuire, and his neighbor, learned this summer just how costly a power outage at home can prove to be. The neighbors experienced a power outage one weekend as a result of a severe thunderstorm. But while McGuire’s tech equipment was protected by Minuteman products, his neighbor did not have any power protection in place.

The costly result of that blunder was that McGuire’s electronics remained intact after the outage, while his neighbor incurred some costly damage because of his failure to use power protection. Casualties of the outage included a router, a modem, a microwave and the control panel on a new refrigerator.

Homeowners will most likely not need some of the elaborate power protection solutions required by many businesses, but luckily, Minuteman offers a range of UPS systems specifically designed for home and small business usage. The company’s EnSpire and Entrust (News - Alert) lines include the smallest UPS systems available from the company, offering direct switchover to battery power ranging from 400 to 1500VA in the event of a power failure. The Entrust line also includes an automatic voltage regulator for slightly larger installations.

What will happen with future weather trends is unclear, but it’s a safe bet that power failures can and will continue to happen. As homeowners invest in larger and more complex electronics and technology, it’s a wise choice to also invest in power protection.