Indispensable to IT infrastructure

Without the battery, the UPS becomes an IPS (Interrupted Power Supply).

The world's increasing reliance on computers and servers for computation and communication leads to the dependence on uninterrupted power supplies. More and more companies are losing valuable information and time due to power outages. A recent research estimates that the annual cost of power outage, and the problems associated with it, exceed Rs 300 million in India.

Much has been written and discussed on the need for the Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) but sadly little on the integral component that makes it uninterrupted: the battery. In fact, without the battery (which is the heart of the UPS), the UPS can provide only interrupted power supply. The UPS is a critical component in the IT chain. It is important that the industry develops a similar outlook on the battery too. Consider this true story. A loud explosion greeted the office supervisor of a leading software company at the company’s makeshift power room, when he switched on the power, after a weekend off.

The error was of neglecting a critical link in the IT hardware chain: the back up power storage device called the BATTERY. The power room is the center for power back up for a company's main server and various other computer nodes. Investigations at the company in question revealed that the makeshift power room was no room at all but at best a dingy place, with the batteries and the UPS charging parameters never checked for compatibility. This led to overcharging. Even the physical deformation of the battery was not noticed and neither was the subsequent accumulation of hydrogen in the room, which led to the explosion. The company's lack of knowledge on the right

type of back up power

storage solution (including installation) cost them dearly. Is this how your systems operate as well? We hope not. Some of the reasons thrown up by research point to the fact that unlike other IT hardware, battery is not an electronic device, there by reducing the comfort factor of the IT user. The batteries invariably have been stereotyped and perceived as black, leaky, unreliable and have no technology association. The result is that the user is uninterested in getting to know about them and they are invariably dealt as any other office consumable. The average office electrician is its custodian. The facts are exactly the reverse. The modern day batteries are sealed, maintenance free (no chance of acid leakage), and are made at plants employing state-of-the-art manufacturing processes and are no longer black. In fact, batteries like ARBL’s Quanta™ have a metallic silver finish that compliment other IT hardware. Additionally, the cost of the batteries - anywhere between 30% to 80% of the UPS cost, makes a compelling case for organisations to upgrade their knowledge on them.

The fact that they are not electronics does not take away the critical role they play in ensuring uninterrupted operations. The time has now come to ensure that back up power storage is considered an extension of the IT hardware and thereby obtain optimum utilization and return on the battery investment.