Power Protection FEATURED ARTICLE

When buying a car, you would never buy the first Nissan that you are offered from the dealer near your house until you shopped around to see if other dealers would come down on the price or if a Honda (News - Alert) was actually the better route to go. Much like buying a car, when buying a power protection product, consumers ought to shop around and investigate comparable offers.

Fortunately for IT mangers and businesses out there, Minuteman UPS/Para Systems (News - Alert) has already done some of the busy work, offering a quick comparison of its PRO1500LCD unit with APC's SC1500 unit. And this month, the company is aggressively promoting its PRO-LCD Series through an email campaign.

“Users comparing the PRO1500LCD to APC’s (News - Alert) SC1500 will find that the Minuteman unit wins out in several areas, beginning with its modern LCD status display that will keep them up to date on the status of both their utility power and the UPS itself,” Duston Nixon, marketing communications specialist for Minuteman, told TMCnet. “Other areas to examine include price, runtime, and warranty coverage – all of which favor the PRO Series.”

As stated on Minuteman’s website, its power protection product boasts 1050 watts as compared to APC’s 865; it has a power factor of 0.7 compared to APC’s 0.6; it includes a three-year battery warranty compared to APC’s two-year warranty; and its runtime at 860 Watt load is 12.5 minutes as opposed to 7.6 minutes with the APC unit.

“The Minuteman unit can support larger electrical loads, or can support a load of equal size for a longer period of time during a blackout,” Nixon said. “This is evident when comparing both units at comparable loads – the PRO-LCD can support 440 watts for 27.6 minutes versus the APC’s 20.4 minutes.”

“PRO-LCD also has the added benefit of two additional surge-only outlets, allowing users to connect and surge protect non-critical equipment without purchasing an additional surge protector,” he added. “Furthermore, users will also find the PRO-LCD’s USB communications port to be a simple plug and play connection with most current computer systems. The SC1500’s DB9 port is not as widely supported. Finally, the PRO-LCD also boasts a superior surge energy rating of 760 Joules, compared to the APC’s 445.”

The PRO1500LCD not only outshines APC’s SC1500 power protection unit, according to Minuteman, but it also is part of a family of Minuteman’s most popular line, the PRO Series. The PRO-LCD Series offers enhanced features, including a new LCD Status Display, additional outlets on 1100 & 1500VA models, and Automatic Voltage Regulation for protection against all power problems.

The PRO-LCD also features more efficient hardware and larger battery capacity, allowing it to provide substantially longer runtimes than competitive models, according to company officials.

Earlier this fall, Minuteman’s PRO-LCD series received a makeover as it now boasts updated features and longer runtime, among other things.

When asked what makes this unit so unique and why Minuteman keeps promoting it, Nixon said, “The PRO Series has long been a favorite in our core businesses – telephone systems, data and networking equipment, and security systems. A compact footprint and significant battery capacities make it a popular choice for these systems which are often installed into confined closets and corners.”

“We’ve found the PRO Series to be extremely popular with small to medium-sized business administrators, as it provides exceptional value while providing the features they demand,” he added. “The benefits I mentioned previously all come in at a price that is lower than its predecessor – an excellent value for SMBs looking to protect their telephone, network, or security systems.”