News in the Channel - issue #42

UPS FOR SMBS

when you look beyond major blackouts to include short interruptions, voltage dips and instability,” he explains. “Research from the Uptime Institute shows that power- related issues account for a significant proportion of outages that result in downtime or financial loss, which highlights how widespread the challenge is. “The situation is becoming more complex as the energy mix evolves. With more distributed and renewable energy sources on the grid, there is greater variability in supply, which can increase the likelihood of disturbances. For SMBs without dedicated resilience measures in place, even minor fluctuations can have a noticeable impact on operations.” Nigel Thompson, technology specialist – racks and power at Midwich, agrees that even brief interruptions can have a significant impact. “The conversation today is less about how often outages occur and more about the fact that organisations have very little tolerance for downtime when they do happen,” he adds. Significant effect Power outages can be ill-afforded by SMBs.“For sensitive applications, micro interruptions lasting only a few seconds could lead to consequences including data corruption, disruption of manufacturing lots, breached Service Level Agreements, premature degradation of IT equipment lifetimes, and lost employee productivity,” says Giuseppe Leto, senior director, IT Systems at Vertiv EMEA. Nigel agrees that even a short power outage can shut systems down unexpectedly, employees can lose access to critical applications, transactions can be interrupted and productivity can come to a standstill. “Beyond the immediate disruption, there is also the risk of data corruption, hardware damage and lengthy recovery times,” he adds. “For many SMBs, the cost of downtime can quickly outweigh

the investment required to protect their infrastructure. It’s important to remember that complete outages aren’t the only concern; power surges and fluctuations can also damage sensitive equipment and create expensive problems further down the line.” Joshua adds that Centrica’s research found that one in four businesses suffered equipment damage following an outage, while one in five reported reputational damage. “With 18% of respondents stating that just one day without power would have catastrophic consequences, business continuity has become a priority rather than an afterthought,” they say. Meanwhile in facilities with lifts, a loss of power can also pose safety and operational challenges, particularly if passengers are mid-journey, notes Brian. “It’s also important to understand that traditional backup solutions don’t fully address this gap,” he says. “Generators can take up to 30 seconds to come online, which leaves systems and equipment unprotected. A UPS bridges that gap by providing instantaneous power, ensuring continuity and allowing critical systems – including lifts – to continue operating or shut down safely.” What customers want But while demand is increasing for UPS solutions among SMBs, their expectations for solutions are too. “The need for reliable single-phase power protection remains as important as ever for SMBs,” says Laura. “From protecting point-of-sale systems that enable retailers to complete transactions, to safeguarding network closets, communications equipment and critical systems in offices, schools and healthcare facilities, single-phase UPS solutions continue to play a vital role in ensuring business continuity. “Customers are increasingly looking for solutions that offer greater reliability, easier management and the flexibility to support growing power demands.”

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Utilities around the world are under growing pressure from extreme weather events, ageing electrical infrastructure and rapidly increasing electricity demand... ...For SMBs, the question is no longer whether they'll experience an outage, but whether they're prepared when one occurs.

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