When safeguarding critical equipment, selecting the right uninterruptible power supply (UPS) system is essential. Let’s explore what a UPS system does and how to choose the perfect system for your needs – whether you’re looking to protect IT and data centre infrastructure, healthcare equipment in hospitals and clinics, financial service systems or elsewhere.
What is a UPS (uninterruptible power supply) system?
A UPS is a device that provides emergency backup power to equipment when the main power source fails. Unlike generators (which are often slow to start and unreliable), a UPS ensures an immediate power supply – preventing downtime, protecting against data loss, or in hospitals, reducing risk to life.
In addition to offering backup power, UPS systems protect against power fluctuations such as surges and spikes.
Which UPS system should you choose?
Firstly, you need to determine the total wattage (or VA) of the devices you need to protect. Always choose a UPS with at least 20-30% extra capacity, so you don’t need to constantly replace it as your infrastructure demands increase.
For smaller setups, the CertaUPS C60 series is ideal, offering capacities from 800VA to 2000VA. For more demanding environments, the CertaUPS C300 range might suit best.
Selecting the right UPS type
UPS systems come in three types, each suited to specific applications.
The first type is the ‘offline/standby’ UPS (CertaUPS C60 series). This is a cost-effective solution for basic power protection. The CertaUPS C60 is perfect for home offices and non-critical systems such as a small IT consultancy requiring basic protection for desktop PCs or network switches.
The second type is the ‘line-interactive’ UPS (CertaUPS C200 series). These UPS units add voltage regulation to handle surges and minor fluctuations, making it suitable for environments with an inconsistent power supply. Retail and hospitality environments might benefit from this solution, as seasonal demands often come with fluctuations in power requirements.
The third type an online/double conversion UPS (CertaUPS C300 series). This type provides the highest level of power protection by delivering constant, clean energy without any transfer time during an outage. This would be the go-to solution for those type of services that have an absolute requirement to constantly be online, such as a cloud hosting provider, a healthcare IT provider protecting patient databases in a hospital or an ecommerce platform safeguarding inventory systems which need to operate around the clock.
If you are unsure as to what solution is right for your circumstances, we can help you choose. If you already know, even better. Contact us to learn more and place an order.
