UPS FOR SMBS
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also want solutions that provide battery backup during an outage and offer visibility, monitoring and remote management capabilities, according to Nigel. “Businesses are looking for greater protection of their technology investments, particularly as IT, networking and AV systems become increasingly central to day-to-day operations,” he says. “Ease of deployment, scalability and integration with wider power management solutions are also becoming more important considerations.” AI influence The rising use of AI puts its own pressures on power supplies. “AI is fundamentally changing the demands placed on IT infrastructure,” says Laura. “AI workloads require more GPUs, which in turn drive higher-density servers, increased storage capacity and significantly greater power consumption. As power requirements continue to rise, protecting critical infrastructure becomes even more important. “While AI is often associated with hyperscale AI factories and colocation data centres, its impact extends far beyond these environments. As AI becomes embedded across businesses of every size, organisations will require more resilient power infrastructure to support increasingly power-hungry applications and maintain operational continuity.” Giuseppe notes that as dedicated AI infrastructure becomes increasingly accessible to SMBs, organisations are deploying more compute-intensive applications closer to where data is generated and used. “These workloads can place greater demands on local IT infrastructure, increasing the importance of reliable power protection,” he adds. “At the same time, evolving cooling technologies are expanding the role of the UPS beyond protecting IT equipment to supporting the continuity of the entire physical infrastructure, including cooling systems for AI applications.”
Giuseppe agrees that SMB demands are shifting. “Today’s businesses expect data centre-grade resilience, extreme space efficiency and minimal maintenance overhead,” he says. “Responding directly to these changing demands, Vertiv recently completed a comprehensive refresh of its desktop single-phase UPS portfolio in EMEA, expanding and modernising its offerings for distributed IT environments and edge applications. “For desktop applications and remote office setups, the Vertiv PowerUPS 100 and 200 Standby and Line Interactive Series provide compact, vital battery backup and surge protection. For more critical edge workloads, the Vertiv Liebert GXE and Vertiv Liebert GXT5 families leverage online double-conversion technology to deliver continuous power conditioning and zero transfer time, helping protect sensitive IT and networking equipment from power disturbances and providing battery backup time to enable a graceful shutdown or transfer to building backup power.” Brian says customers are becoming more informed and selective in what they expect from a UPS. “It’s no longer just about having backup power available, but ensuring the system is correctly sized to match their actual load requirements and the runtime needed to maintain operations or bring systems to a safe stop,” he says. Joshua adds that customers want UPS systems that are easy to install, simple to manage and energy efficient, while providing reliable protection for increasingly digital operations. “Remote monitoring, extended battery runtime, scalability and low total cost of ownership are becoming key purchasing factors,” they add. “Sustainability is also playing a growing role, with organisations placing greater emphasis on energy efficiency and environmental credentials alongside performance.” Reliability remains a priority, but customers
Contributors
Joshua Naylor
legrand.co.uk
Laura Burrell
hammerdistribution.com
Brian Preston
cpaltd.net
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