Let’s Talk Strategy – The Power of UPS Maintenance
It’s the time of year where many business owners begin the process of reflecting what has been achieved over the previous nine to ten months, and what still remains to be done if goals are to be accomplished before the end of the year.
Re-assessing a company’s long-term vision and ensuring it still aligns with anticipated performance and current market conditions is a must. If the plan, isn’t going according to plan, a few tactical adjustments may need to be made.
This strategic annual review process is a little like an overall health check. It scans all aspects of the business with the aim of highlighting any potential issues or areas for concern. It also takes into consideration how the organisation is operating as a whole, and identifies where systems can be improved or where budgets may need to be allocated the following year, to keep things running smoothly.
One key area that can often be overlooked in this annual MOT process is a company’s power protection strategy. Whilst most businesses will have some form of backup provision in place, once in situ, it can often be forgotten about. Not necessarily an issue, until the point in time when it is needed!
Our heavy reliance on technology and a wide variety of applications demands a clean and stable electrical supply. A lack of this can result in equipment malfunction, damage to data or in some cases, operational downtime, resulting in the potential for serious commercial loss.
Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) systems are essential tools for maintaining business continuity across all industries and sectors. In the event of an electrical anomaly or grid failure, the UPS steps in to bridge the gap in supply, allowing equipment and applications to remain working until mains power is restored or they can be safely shutdown. But what happens if the UPS fails?
Like all electronics, UPS systems contain components that are subject to wear and tear, such as fans, capacitors, filters, batteries etc. These will all degrade over time however their working life can also be affected by a variety of external issues. Physical damage to the equipment, the conditions of the external environment where the UPS is housed, the number of times the UPS has been called into action – all factors that can shorten the lifespan of internal components and cause the system to fail prematurely.
Regular UPS maintenance is therefore an essential requirement if you want to protect business continuity. Just like a company’s annual strategic review, a proactive service agreement will act as an overall health check, but for the UPS. It will help to predict the likelihood of any potential system issues ahead of time and allow engineers to spot system irregularities that could lead to more costly repairs at a later date. Equipment failures therefore become less likely, helping to protect the performance and security of connected equipment, whilst also ensuring the safety and welfare of personnel on-site.
Regular UPS maintenance will also help to anticipate if a system is approaching its designated ‘end-of-life’. Having this information in advance allows businesses to prioritise funding for any replacement system and ensure the required amount of capital can be set aside within the following year’s budget.
Preventative UPS Maintenance Agreements
Power Control has been providing preventative UPS maintenance solutions for approximately 30 years. These involve a range of inspection, testing and cleaning services, including:
- Checking for signs of physical damage or loose connections
- Running tests to identify current performance levels
- Checking the health, capacity and charging rates of all batteries and consumables
- Cleaning internal components to ensure they are free from dust and other contaminants
- Conducting environmental tests
- Performing software and hardware updates where required
Reactive UPS Maintenance Agreements
For smaller companies that feel their business needs do not warrant an annual servicing arrangement, Power Control also offer a reactive UPS maintenance option. This flexible service agreement allows companies to fix emergency issues as they arise however it must be noted that this style of agreement can be more costly in the long-term and does not offer the same level of protection as an annual UPS maintenance package.
Why UPS Maintenance Should Form Part of the Strategy Review
Reviewing and updating a company’s strategic plan on an annual basis is crucial to maintaining its relevance and effectiveness. The same can also be said when it comes to a preventative UPS maintenance agreement.
It provides the opportunity to check for changes to the technology infrastructure and ensure the current backup provision is adequate for protecting new additional loads. It allows engineers to check for any potential key points of failure and take the necessary steps to prevent issues that could lead to more expensive repairs, or risks of unexpected equipment downtime at a later date.
In addition, it offers the opportunity to plan ahead and budget for potential repairs or a replacement system if the UPS has reached the end of its service life. Lastly, and most importantly, a preventative UPS maintenance agreement provides a level of business security and peace of mind that cannot otherwise be guaranteed.
In today’s fast-paced technological world, the demands on our unstable electrical grid are increasing, placing additional pressure on an already over-stretched system. As more AI technologies come on board this demand will only escalate, making our UPS systems an increasingly essential requirement if we are to guarantee operational continuity.
As we start to look towards the next twelve months let’s not overlook this often unrecognised, yet critical, piece of business infrastructure. It too, should have a place on the strategic review agenda, if for no other reason than to ensure we are allocating sufficient funds for the level of UPS maintenance we really need.
Only if we take appropriate care of the health of our UPS systems can they take care of the health of our business.
If you would like further information on our Preventative and Reactive UPS Maintenance Agreements, please contact a member of the Power Control team on 01246 431431 or email info@powercontrol.co.uk