Uninterruptible Power Supply

IT infrastructure requires a constant flow of electricity to stay functional. Servers in particular must stay online whenever possible. But public power grids have been known to go down, and power may cut out in severe weather. That’s when UPS systems jump in to protect critical equipment. Short for ‘uninterruptible power supply’, UPS systems come in many shapes and sizes, such as products for individual PCs or solutions for servers and networks. UPS systems switch to special UPS batteries during power outages to ensure that the connected devices can continue to receive power. High-quality UPS systems also offer surge protection and pure sine wave AC output.

UPS systems can be upgraded with special power distribution units (PDU), which are mainly used for IT infrastructure, for instance to distribute power in racks. When used with UPS systems, PDUs distribute the emergency power to multiple devices and outlets, helping also to protect them against power surges. Special power cables are required for UPSs and PDUs. To ensure a safe UPS system, electronic devices should be equipped with automatic transfer switches (ATS), which switch between power supplies when needed.

Multiple components work together to ensure that IT infrastructure is ideally protected during power outages. Systems requiring a high degree of protection will need redundant, scalable UPSs, as well as 3-phase UPSs for heavy loads. You should also implement appropriate software for UPS system management to help shut down servers and PCs properly in case of an emergency. In addition, UPS services—covering maintenance, repairs and phone support—can be purchased along with your UPS systems. Remote UPS surveillance is also available. You’ll find all this as well as a large selection of UPS accessories at bechtle.com.