The face of IT has changed significantly over the last decade. From centralised mainframe to client-server systems, today’s preferred IT infrastructure has evolved towards a hybrid cloud deployment powered by a private cloud for the flexibility and control that small and mid-sized enterprises (SMEs) need.
Meeting Changing IT Needs
There is no question that IT requirements today are now more diverse and fluid than ever. Indeed, increased digitalisation means that digital systems in a typical corporate environment are more interdependent than ever. For instance, a failed Wi-Fi network, a glitched Internet router, or an inaccessible ERP server can result in productivity taking a big hit at a minimum, or even the possibility of work grinding to a complete halt.
The situation gets worse in environments that are customer-facing such as a service centre or retail outlet. As noted by my Schneider Electric colleague Kevin Brown, 72 percent of retailers say they lose sales during a network outage. What’s more, customers will also talk about their negative in-store experiences, resulting in almost half (48%) of them avoiding these stores in the future.
The onus is on organisations to properly evaluate the systems that are mission-critical for their business, and to ensure that these systems are properly defended against failure. This typically revolves around ensuring stable power supply – and is where the situation gets tricky.
Finding the Right Solution
In theory, protecting against power outages is a relatively simple task involving the acquisition and installation of a suitable uninterruptable power supply (UPS). But with more equipment to power than ever, standard UPS designed to power desktop PCs or a limited number of servers may no longer have what it takes.
For instance, an office might be powered by a handful of high-powered hyperconverged servers, legacy storage appliances, routers, as well as several PoE (Power over Ethernet) switches to deliver data and power to IoT sensors, wireless access points, network cameras and IP telephones. Because employees expect the Internet to keep working even during a power outage, and employers want network cameras to keep recording for security’s sake, extended battery runtime is a must.
With inadequate power capacity to cope with power requirements from a single UPS, businesses may try stacking multiple independent UPS units together, which can only exacerbate existing issues relating to opaque controls and manageability.
Simplicity with Power
This is where Schneider Electric’s latest upgrade to its Easy UPS 3M series of UPS can make a difference. Designed for SMEs to power edge data centres and industrial environments, the Easy UPS 3M has been beefed up from its original 60kVA to 200kVA with the addition of 120, 160 and 200 kVA options.
Crucially, despite being designed with a lower capital investment in mind, it comes with a compact footprint that supports a wide range of input voltages with strong overload protection built in. Easy to install, use and service, the Easy UPS 3M offers fuss-free business continuity for SME deployments where more power is required.
Finally, an optional network card upgrade will also allow the Easy UPS 3M to support remote monitoring and management through EcoStruxure IT’s cloud-based software suite. You can learn more about the Easy UPS 3M here.
Article by Michael Kurniawan, Vice President, Secure Power Division Singapore, Malaysia & Brunei Cluster, Schneider Electric
