A Power Outage Is an IT Outage
When the power goes out, so does your business. Servers shut down ungracefully, network equipment drops offline, and staff lose unsaved work. In areas with unreliable power â rural properties, industrial estates, older commercial buildings â even brief outages can corrupt data and damage hardware.
An uninterruptible power supply (UPS) is the first line of defence. It is not optional for any business that depends on its IT systems.
What a UPS Does
A UPS sits between the mains power and your IT equipment. When power drops, the UPS battery takes over instantly â no interruption, no shutdown. Depending on the size, it provides anywhere from five minutes to thirty minutes of runtime. That is enough time to save work and shut systems down gracefully, or to ride out a brief outage without any disruption.
Beyond blackouts, a UPS also protects against brownouts (voltage drops), power surges, and electrical noise â all of which can damage sensitive electronics over time.
What Needs UPS Protection
Essential: Servers, network switches, firewalls, NAS devices, and internet routers. If these go down, the entire business loses connectivity and access to files and applications. A single UPS protecting your server rack and network cabinet is the minimum investment.
Recommended: Point-of-sale systems, security cameras and NVRs, and any workstation running critical processes that cannot be interrupted.
Optional but worthwhile: Individual workstations in roles where data loss from an unexpected shutdown would be costly â CAD operators, accounts staff mid-payroll, or anyone working with large unsaved files.
Sizing a UPS
UPS capacity is measured in VA (volt-amperes) or watts. To size a UPS correctly, add up the power draw of the equipment it will protect. A typical small business server draws 300 to 500 watts. A network switch draws 20 to 50 watts. A firewall draws 15 to 30 watts. For a small server room, a 1500VA UPS provides approximately 15 to 20 minutes of runtime â enough for a graceful shutdown.
Oversize by 20 to 30 per cent to allow for future equipment additions and battery degradation over time.
UPS Types
Standby (offline) UPS: The cheapest option. Switches to battery when power drops, with a brief transfer time (5 to 12 milliseconds). Adequate for workstations but not ideal for servers.
Line-interactive UPS: Regulates voltage without switching to battery for minor fluctuations. Better transfer time and longer battery life. The standard choice for small business server rooms. APC Smart-UPS and CyberPower PR series are common options.
Online (double-conversion) UPS: Equipment always runs on battery power, with mains continuously charging the battery. Zero transfer time. Required for mission-critical systems but more expensive. Consider this for businesses where even a millisecond interruption is unacceptable.
Surge Protection Is Not Enough
A $20 power board with surge protection is not a substitute for a UPS. Surge protectors guard against voltage spikes but provide no battery backup and no protection against brownouts or blackouts. They also degrade over time â a surge protector that has absorbed a few hits may no longer be providing any protection at all. Replace surge protectors every three to five years, and never daisy-chain power boards.
Battery Maintenance
UPS batteries have a finite lifespan â typically three to five years. A UPS with a dead battery provides zero protection. Monitor battery health through the UPS management software or your MSP’s remote monitoring. Replace batteries proactively before they fail. Most business-grade UPS units use standard replaceable battery cartridges.
Test your UPS annually by simulating a power outage and verifying that connected equipment stays online for the expected runtime.
Remote Monitoring and Automated Shutdown
Business-grade UPS units include network management cards that connect to your monitoring systems. Configure automated shutdown scripts so that if battery runtime drops below a threshold, servers shut down gracefully without human intervention. This is critical for businesses without on-site IT staff â particularly remote offices and sites.
Protect Your Investment
Your IT equipment represents a significant investment. A UPS costing $500 to $2,000 protects tens of thousands of dollars in hardware and the data it contains. Contact TechAssist to assess your power protection needs and specify the right UPS for your environment.
