Power outages are more than just a nuisance; they can all of your business’s non-battery-powered devices offline, resulting in the loss of data. If you’re writing a document or coding an app on a desktop computer, for example, a power outage may cause a sudden an permanent loss of data. Even when the power returns, you won’t be able to retrieve the lost data. While you can’t prevent power outages from occurring, you can mitigate their impact on your business’s operations by using an uninterruptible power supply (UPS).
What Is a UPS?
Not to be confused with a surge protector, a USP is a battery component that’s designed to provide short-term power to one or more connected devices in the event of a power outage. It sits between a wall outlet and a device. You plug the UPS into a wall outlet, after which you can plug a device into the UPS. The UPS will provide them with supplemental power to the device if the wall outlet fails to deliver an appropriate amount of voltage.
Benefits of Using a UPS
UPSs receive their namesake by providing interruptible power. A power outage will normally “interrupt ” devices. Any devices connected to a wall outlet will no longer receive power. And if the devices don’t have a built-in battery — e.g. desktop computers and servers — they’ll turn off. A UPS, however, keeps devices running by giving them supplemental power.
Data loss can occur if a device is suddenly turned off. Regardless of the task, you’ll typically need to save your work. There’s no way to predict with a power outage will occur. If the power goes out before you’ve had an opportunity to save your work, you may lose your data. A UPS prevents them from happening by ensuring your devices always have power. Using the power from its on-board battery, the UPS will keep your devices up and running during power outages.
In addition to protecting against data loss, a UPS can protect your devices from power surges. There are several types of UPSs, but many of them offer protection against power surges. They measure the voltage coming from the wall outlet, and if it’s too high, they’ll block it so that it doesn’t reach your devices. With that said, a UPS isn’t a substitute for an actual surge protector; it’s just a secondary layer of protection that can further minimize the risk of a device-damaging power surge.
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