Battery Back-up's

Where do you need them?

A common misconception that we frequently run in to is that battery back-up/power surge systems are only required on a file server.  What's the right answer?  Almost everything on your network belongs on a battery back-up or power surge device!  Whether you experience a power surge, "brown out" or complete loss of electrical service to your home or office, battery back-up systems provide both short-term battery power & power surge protection to key devices so that they can be properly shut-down when the need arises.  Power "strips" afford protection for power surges, but won't help you in a brown out when power generation across the grid is less than what's needed to operate your equipment.  You will damage your equipment not only with a power surge, but more frequently in a brown out. 

Equipment that requires battery back-up/power surge devices includes File Server's, Workstations (including Lap-tops), Routers, Switches, & Modems (Cable, DSL, & Dial-up).  Monitors for your servers & workstations also "plugged into" a battery back-up so that you can see what you're doing as you shut down. 

Power surge protection, notably power strips should be used for every other devise on your network not mentioned previously.  That includes printers, scanners, fax machines, speakers, cameras, etc.  If in question, plug it into a power surge strip.  Do not, however, plug these devices into your battery back-up system because it will degrade the battery and reduce protection for your file server(s), workstations, etc. 

Laptop computers obviously contain an internal battery, so if adequately charged, they should be able to be shut-down if there's a power outage.  At your office, on the road, or at home, they also need to be plugged into a power surge protector or better still a batter back-up device.   They're subject to the same exposure as any workstation on your network.

Prices for battery back-up systems vary depending upon the intended application.  For workstations they generally begin in the low $ 100 range & for file servers the $ 500 range.  Because each application is different, be certain to consult with your networking services provider to recommend the appropriate battery back-up for your network equipment. 

When accessing the cost, think about the value of your of your computer hardware if it's damaged, the cost of lost production time while your down, & most importantly your customer database.  After all, that's who's really covering the bill & losing or compromising the integrity of your customer database isn't worth a few hundred dollars.