How to Select the Right UPS System

Selecting UPS systems for your environment can be confusing with the number of manufactures and different levels of protection available today. As UPS failures are the number one reason for downtime within the data center environment, I would say that it is of the utmost importance for any enterprise or critical infrastructure to have the right protection in place.

Also with the increase in the implementation of Edge IT, the local infrastructure used to support offsite applications and hardware are evolving from a, “nice to have”, to a “must have” scenario. In order to lend transparency to the selection of appropriately matched UPS systems and critical components I have listed below the three main UPS systems available today, along with the benefits and advantages of each.

1. Off-Line or (Standby) UPS systems.

These offline un-interruptible power supplies provide cost-effective power protection against outages and basic filtering as well as surge protection and are ideal for Home office, small business work stations and some POS systems.

Disadvantages:

• Does not protect against most power anomalies, including voltage fluctuations.
• Battery cycles are increased.
• Transfer to battery when utility power is lost results in a load interruption.
• Not suited for generator applications.
• NON-MISSION CRITICAL in business.

1. Line Interactive UPS systems.

Interactive UPS systems provide a medium level of power protection against outages with some voltage conditioning as well as basic filtering and surge protection. They are generally ideal for small business work stations and some networking devices.

Disadvantages:

• Offers limited power conditioning.
• Battery cycles are increased.
• No isolation from input source.
• Not suited for generator applications.
• NON-MISSION CRITICAL.
• No Internal Bypass.

1. Online or (Double Conversion) UPS Systems

Double conversation systems offer the most comprehensive power protection against all types of power anomalies and have a Zero-transfer time to battery. That means your power is always online and is never interrupted. Some manufacturers have an optional internal bypass available and this unit is ideal for Mission Critical IT applications and generator applications.

 Disadvantages:

• Efficiency (dual conversion process consumes power)

The bottom line is; that it does not matter how expensive or powerful a piece of hardware or server is, if the foundational power and UPS system is not sufficient, than your IT network is put needlessly at risk. The same can be said for the batteries used within the UPS system which are just as important. Don’t just look at the price; look at the longevity of the batteries themselves, like you would when you are buying a cell phone. Enterprise and Data Center systems need and call for Enterprise batteries and UPS solutions.

The last piece of the puzzle when considering what UPS systems to install and purchase is the warranty and service levels which are available. More and more companies are reducing their IT staff and being asked to increase their responsibilities and systems like UPSs which are only really noticed when a catastrophic event happens are apt to be overlooked or ignored.  Finding a partner you can rely on to monitor, install and proactively manage these systems can save businesses hours of downtime and thousands of dollars.

If you are experiencing any of the following pain points, we have a solution for you.  

Give us a call (1-800-427-2055)

1. Short battery lifespan
2. Unexplainable equipment lock ups or freezes
3. Limited resources to remove and install UPSs?
4. Worried about environmentally safe UPS disposal?
5. Concerned about downtime and time to repair?
6. Dealing with difficult to staff and manage business-critical closets or rooms?
7. Concerned about MTTR?
8. Trouble managing multi-site rollouts?

           

Datcom is a proud partner of Liebert and Emerson Network Power UPS Systems. Not only do they have a great breadth of products to support everything from Desktops to full blown Data Center power distribution. Emerson also has the smallest online double conversion UPS 500VA, and also the largest capacity single phase UPS which is 20kVA, 18kW APS.

Emerson also has hundreds of professionals that support their robust products which are backed by the best warranty in the business., this is a two-year, no-hassle warranty.

If anything happens to your unit, including a battery failure, Liebert will replace your complete UPS and pay overnight shipping out to you and paid return shipping from you. Liebert also offers optional one-year and three-year extended warranties.

Their product diversity is only eclipsed by their Power Assurance Package and Life Services offerings, which make Liebert a front runner in the Enterprise UPS Solution landscape.

Too learn more about Picking the right UPS for your Data Center or request an onsite consultation email eds@datcominc.com or call 1-800-427-2055

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