Imagine this: it’s midday in your office and suddenly the lights turn off, your AC stops, and even that little speaker in the corner of your office providing a bit of background noise goes quiet.
Power outage!
But it goes even further. Your servers stop working, the Wi-Fi is dead, and every computer screen goes black. You can’t even sit back and put the kettle on!
Chaos, right? What do you do? Is all of your data okay? You were in the middle of updating your financials, or working on that really important project proposal. Computers don’t like suddenly losing power as if they are mid process it can result in data corruption.
This is where a UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) comes in. A UPS provides emergency battery power to critical electronics during a power cut, giving you time to shut them down safely, or keep systems running temporarily (depending on the supported capacity of your UPS power).
What is a UPS?
A UPS, or Uninterruptible Power Supply, is a device that provides battery power when the mains supply fails, or you experience a “brownout” where you see a significant drop in voltage which could cause electronics to shut down.
Unlike standby or backup generators that take time to start, a UPS kicks in almost immediately, allowing systems to continue running for anything from a few minutes to... hours. It all depends on the capacity of your batteries, and the amount of time you want to run connected equipment for.
Additionally, a UPS can protect sensitive electronics from power surges and spikes which can damage equipment or cause critical data loss or corruption. Often UPSs are used for servers, network storage, network equipment such as switches and even other vital equipment in sectors like healthcare. However, smaller UPSs can also be used to temporarily power critical desktop infrastructure for limited periods of time for those employees who may be working on large projects that would require time to save and safely shut down.
What are the benefits of a UPS for Businesses?
A UPS system offers several critical benefits for businesses of all sizes, ensuring that operations continue smoothly during power interruptions and protecting vital equipment.
Preventing Data Loss
As we have mentioned, one of the most significant risks during a power outage is losing unsaved data or data that was actively being transferred. If the power goes out unexpectedly, any work not saved can disappear, and files or databases may become corrupted if they are in the process or being written to or edited. A UPS provides just enough time to save work and shut down systems safely, preventing data loss. For businesses that rely on real-time data, like retail or finance, a UPS can prevent costly losses by ensuring that systems continue running long enough to finish transactions or processes. It is also important to consider that a network attached UPS can automate safe shutdown policies on your vital equipment if required, and even automate startup procedures once power is confirmed as being restored.
Protecting Equipment from Damage
Power surges and sudden outages can damage electronics, shortening their lifespan or rendering them unusable. A UPS acts as a buffer, ensuring that sensitive equipment like computers, servers, and network devices are protected from harmful voltage fluctuations. Whether it’s a small desktop or a critical business server/network storage, a UPS can extend the life of your equipment by preventing unexpected shutdowns or surges that can cause permanent damage.
Ensuring Business Continuity
For many businesses, downtime means lost revenue, customer trust, and productivity. A UPS solution gives businesses valuable time at the start of a power outage to continue operations or even transition to backup power sources such as a generator without impacting critical operations or risking data loss. This is especially crucial for businesses that require constant uptime, such as online retailers, customer service centres, hospitals and even manufacturers. With a UPS, you can ensure that critical systems stay operational or safely shut down if necessary.
Saving Money by Avoiding Downtime
The cost of an outage can be staggering, just look at our article on “The True Cost of IT Downtime”. In industries like manufacturing or finance, even a short period without power can result in lost transactions and disgruntled customers and costly delays. For hospitals and healthcare facilities, downtime could mean endangering patient safety. Investing in a UPS for critical infrastructure is much cheaper than the potential costs and losses associated with downtime. The potential savings from avoiding outages far outweigh the initial investment in a UPS system.
How have UPS’s saved businesses from potential disaster?
Power outages happen all the time, we have even experienced them at our own offices on multiple occasions, but having Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPSs) attached to your critical infrastructure and systems ensures that even in the event of a sudden power outage that you can safely save and shut down your services and systems.
Banking Disruptions
In late 2023, Capital One faced significant IT disruptions when their UPS units failed during power interruptions through a third-party vendor. This left thousands of customers unable to access their accounts. Such outages can have massive implications for customer trust and financial transactions. Thankfully, the bank worked to resolve the issue and reimbursed customers for any fees that would otherwise have been occurred. Banks rely heavily on uninterrupted service, making UPS systems essential for avoiding disruption during outages. A well-maintained and regularly checked UPS solution could have provided backup power, preventing these costly service interruptions.
Healthcare Power Failure
As we have previously mentioned, healthcare services are another critical area where power reliability is non-negotiable. Can you imagine if critical life support systems suddenly lost power with no option of recovery? In October 2023, Nottingham University Hospitals (NUH) experienced a failure in its UPS during a power cut. This led to a temporary loss of power to key medical equipment, including life-support devices such as a blood transfusion system and caused significant delays in treatment and surgeries. While the hospital’s backup generators eventually activated, and power was restored later that they, the incident raised concerns about the reliability of power backup systems in healthcare. Adequately checked and maintained UPS systems could have protected vital equipment and ensured patient safety during the power failure, preventing a potentially disastrous situation.
Where Should You Use a UPS?
Protecting Servers and Data Storage
If your business relies on on-site servers or network-attached storage (NAS), these devices should be a priority for UPS protection. A server crash caused by a power outage can lead to data loss or corruption, system downtime, and significant recovery costs. A UPS ensures that your servers continue to receive power in an outage or have time to shut down properly when the power fails, keeping your data safe.
Keeping Network Equipment Running
Your business’s network infrastructure, such as routers, switches, modems, security cameras, desk phones & access points, are just as vulnerable to power loss which can impact data (especially data in transit). Without a UPS, these devices will stop working when you lose power, leaving you without internet and communications. For companies that rely on online services or remote work, keeping network equipment powered is essential to avoid disruption. Many business will often segment network infrastructure from critical infrastructure across multiple UPS’s to ensure that critical infrastructure received dedicated power and that network equipment (which requires less, but there is more of) has its own dedicated backup power/
Security and Emergency Equipment
As mentioned, for businesses with security cameras, alarm systems, or emergency lighting, a UPS ensures these systems remain operational during power loss. Something that is especially useful in the middle of the night when you may not have personnel on site. Security and safety systems should never go offline, and a UPS guarantees these remain active, keeping your premises protected, cameras recording, and compliant with safety regulations.
Desktop UPS
Whilst critical infrastructure, security and network equipment seems like a given for this kind of peace of mind from power loss, a Desktop UPS can also be a valuable addition to the workplace for people in key critical roles. In industries such as architecture, 3D design, video editing, and even high data intensive financial services losing power suddenly when working on important projects could have a serious impact on a persons work. Data corruption on these types of projects could mean hours or weeks worth of work that would need to be re-done if an adequate backup was not available.
How can TwentyFour help your business?
It is important to remember that power outages can happen at any time, and the impact on a business could be severe. A UPS is an essential tool for businesses of all sizes, offering protection against power surges, providing temporary power through an outage, preventing data loss, and ensuring business continuity. Having a UPS in place can make the difference between a minor inconvenience and a major disaster. By investing in the right UPS systems, businesses can avoid costly downtime and ensure operations continue smoothly, even when the power goes out. Fill out the form below or book a meeting with our specialists to find out how you can benefit from a UPS system.