How to Buy the Right Uninterruptible Power System
Follow these tips to get the right UPS system for your organization.
During extreme weather, an uninterruptible power supply could be the only thing standing between your business and data center disaster. Here are key things to consider when choosing one.
- Power rating: To figure out how big a UPS to buy, add up the wattage of every device you plan to attach to it. Then make sure its power rating exceeds that number by at least 20 percent, to reduce the chance of overloads.
- Runtime: Will you just need a few minutes to properly shut down sensitive equipment or a longer runtime to continue operations during a blackout? Longer runtimes mean more batteries and more money.
- Footprint: Although a larger unit will take up more room in your data center, managing one large UPS may be easier than managing several small ones. (Note: You’ll still need to get smaller UPS units for desktop PCs and other critical equipment.)
- Additional features: In the end, it’s the unique features that separate one UPS from another. Do you need it to work with multiple operating systems? Do you want to choose which devices to power down first? Do you want to manage it remotely? Matching features to your needs is the key to finding the right system.
For more on the importance of UPS systems, check out, "For the Houston Astros and Small Businesses Alike, Power Management Is Critical."
