Hello everyone! I'm trying to figure out the best practices for deploying UPS devices. I've been hearing mixed opinions from experienced admins. Some say it's unnecessary to install a UPS for workstations, while at my company—where we have a mix of project managers and engineers—we opt for them to ensure users can save their work and shut down properly during power outages. Although we only face a few power loss incidents each year, I want to know if these installations are a waste of money or if we should continue using them. Also, does anyone have recommendations for models that work well for desktop setups? We only need to power a workstation and one monitor. Thanks!
5 Answers
It's all about the business case. Consider how often your people save their work and whether they have autosave features. If you're losing much more in labor from outages than what you'd spend on UPS devices, it's worth the investment. Calculate how many man-hours you've lost due to power failures and see if that justifies buying UPS units. It's often a good return on investment!
In my experience, using desktops usually isn't a problem, but if you're running sensitive operations, a UPS might be beneficial. I had an APC 1500 kva unit under my desk which helped during outages, allowing for a smooth shutdown of servers. It really depends on the setups you have. For most users, deploying laptops can be a better option to avoid needing personal UPS units altogether.
For desktop workstations, we typically use the APC Back-UPS ES 550 model. It's durable enough to keep a basic setup going for a few minutes during an outage. If you need something more powerful, I'd suggest looking into the Eaton 5S series. Just make sure you don’t plug in any laser printers to these!
Just remember, UPSs don’t last forever, and their backup time depends on the size of the batteries inside. Make sure you consider that when selecting models. Also, keep track of unexpected shutdowns over the years to assess the impact and eventual need for UPSs.
Personally, I think deploying UPS devices for every single desktop is overkill. At my previous job, we barely had any power issues during the day, and if they occurred after hours or on weekends, a UPS wouldn’t help much anyway unless it’s a brief blip.
What does your current power arrangement look like? Just curious if it’s changed since you took the UPS away.
Absolutely! If you can prove that outages cost you more in lost work than the price of UPS devices, it makes total sense to get them.