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Battery Backups

Don’t lose your computers and other equipment to electricity blackouts

By Judy Artunian, Freelance Writer
If you’ve ever experienced a power failure that abruptly shuts down the equipment that keeps your business humming, you know why you need battery backups. With an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) in place, your computers and other equipment can run long enough for you to quickly save important files and shutdown devices correctly. A UPS will also keep your equipment from being damaged during brown-outs.

Battery backup basics:
  1. There two types of UPS systems. A standby UPS (also called an offline UPS) monitors the power line and switches to battery power immediately after detecting a power failure. An online UPS costs more but switches to battery power more quickly because it’s providing battery power, even when your primary power source is working.
  2. A UPS usually provides surge protection as well as battery backup. A surge protector alone doesn’t provide power to keep your equipment operating during a power outage. Its role is to protect your equipment from harm due to electrical surges and spikes.
  3. In hospitals and other settings where losing electricity could have devastating consequences, battery backups keep things running for a few minutes until electrical generators kick in.

 

Computer battery backups

Don’t risk losing vital documents and data by leaving your computers unprotected from power outages.
Try: Pick a system such as Falconup’s offline UPS products which will safely shut down your computer if you’re not there when the power goes out. For backup power that lasts throughout the workday, consider the XPower PowerSource 1800. It can keep office equipment running during a blackout for as long as 12 hours. For corporate and departmental servers consider a UPS such as the Cyberpower CPS1500AVR, which can control two computers during a power failure. Not sure what type of UPS is right for your business? Consult APC’s UPS Selector or find APC’s computer battery backups at Business.com.

Compact backups

Traditional UPS systems can be bulky. That won’t do when space is tight or you’re on the road.
Try: The Belkin Battery Backup with Flashlight keeps laptops, phones and other devices running long enough for you to shut them down after blackout. It also comes with a flashlight that lights up your work area during the power outage. Tripp Lite’s Internet Office UPS System is small enough to be tucked away under a desk but powerful enough to simultaneously feed temporary power to three devices. Check out  Business.com for more compact battery backup systems.

Battery Extenders for handheld devices

When the battery in your cell phone, iPod and other handheld gear dies, a battery extender lets you use the device while it quickly recharges the battery.
Try: Gomadic's Emergency AA Battery Extender Charger revives iPods, PDAs, cell phones and more. You can find battery extenders designed specifically for your BlackBerry at SFPlanet.com. You’ll find even more sources for battery extenders of all types at Business.com.

 

  • If your budget doesn’t allow you to buy a UPS for each computer in your office, at least make sure computers that contain mission-critical data are protected by a UPS.
  • You might be tempted to save space by opting for a small UPS, but remember that a larger unit will keep your equipment running longer during a blackout.
  • When considering the amount of time the various UPS products can keep your equipment running, take into account devices such as laser printers which can suck up a lot of backup-power time because they consume so much power.

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