Reliable IT starts with reliable power: what should stay running during an outage?
The power goes off at a six-person accounting office. Four laptops stay on, but the receptionist’s and manager’s desktop computers switch off. Nobody can open the online files they need for work.
The online system is still running. The problem is in the corner: the router that connects the office to the internet, and the network switch that links its devices. Both have lost power. The laptops can’t reach the files, and unsaved work on the desktops may be lost.
The backup doesn’t have to power the whole building. It needs to keep the important equipment running long enough to finish work or save files and shut down safely.
Why the laptops can’t connect
Laptop
Own battery: still on, for now
Router, switch and Wi-Fi
Office mains power: off.
The chain breaks here.Internet provider
Outside the office, on its own power
Online work system
In a remote data centre: still running
These essential devices are called critical loads. A load is anything that uses electricity. Here, the router, switch and wireless access point—the device providing Wi-Fi—need power. So do the laptops once their batteries run low.
Keep working, or shut down safely?
Losing power on a quiet afternoon may be a small inconvenience. Losing it halfway through a presentation to an important new client can stop the meeting just when it matters most.
Some devices need to keep running. Others only need time for people to save files and close programs safely. The rest can wait.
Keep essential work running
Power for as long as the office needs to keep working
- Router and network switch
- Wi-Fi access point
- The internet provider’s box in the office, if it runs on office power
- Laptops, once their own batteries run low
Allow a safe shutdown
Power long enough to save work and close down
- Reception desktop computer
- Manager’s desktop computer
Can wait
Off until the power comes back
- Large printer and scanner
- Air conditioning
- Kettle and microwave
Decide what needs to stay on and for how long. If the power is still off when the battery is nearly empty, save your work and shut down before it runs out.
How long the backup has to last
Backup time depends on how much power the equipment uses and how much energy the battery holds. Less power use means the stored energy lasts longer. Leaving the air conditioning and kettle off makes a big difference.
How long the backup lasts also depends on the battery’s condition, how fully charged it is and how much energy the backup system itself uses. The installer checks these details when choosing a system for the office.
Keeping equipment on when power goes off
A suitable battery-and-inverter system can take over quickly enough for computers and network equipment to keep running when power goes off. If it already does this, a separate UPS isn’t needed for that job.
A UPS, or uninterruptible power supply, provides battery power to connected equipment. It can help where the main backup takes too long to start supplying power. What matters is checking that the chosen system keeps the equipment running. Our article on solar, battery backup and UPS explains how they work together.
What does the office need?
For this office, the aim is simple: keep the files available while staff need to work, with time to save and shut down before the battery runs out.
Crownzcom provides solar and battery backup. Our team includes electrical engineers. We look at what needs power and for how long. If power failures keep interrupting your work, let’s talk it through.