Have you stopped to think lately about what happens to your data center – and the rest of your operations – if the power got cut?
Today, a power outage is more than a minor inconvenience. It can be crippling for a modern business, especially if you don't have a backup system. As our networks take on more and more of our workloads, that makes them increasingly vital to every aspect of our businesses. You can't afford to be offline for very long, if at all.
Also, many servers and other high-end networking equipment often doesn't react well to an outage. Servers can take a long time to come back online, even if power is restored, along with the ever-present risk of damage to your hardware due to power surges and interruptions.
This is why Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS) units exist. These are, in effect, battery backup systems that can maintain power to your entire computer setup for a set time, while you work to get primary power restored. Tripp Lite is the company we partner with for most of our UPS systems, due to their superior construction and long-lasting builds.
So, how long can a Tripplite UPS keep power to your center? It's a more complex question than you might think.
Calculating The Run Times Of Tripp Lite UPS Systems
Tripp Lite offers dozens of different UPS units, ranging in size and power from ones that are suitable for a small office to massive units that could practically power a city block. Generally speaking, you can find a Tripp Lite UPS that will last anywhere between 20 minutes and a few hours.
However, the size of the battery alone doesn't tell the whole story. Your own usage is one of the key factors. Every piece of equipment you have in your building uses power. Every phone, every computer, every server, and everything else. The more equipment you have, the larger the battery has to be. Add more capacity for every minute you need to keep it online.
So, one of the questions you'll have to ask yourself before deciding which UPS to buy is how long you need to have backup power for. Pretty much, the more power you need from the UPS, the more you'll end up paying for it.
Selecting The Right UPS For You
Luckily, Tripp Lite makes these calculations easy. They provide a simple guide to calculating what you need from a Tripp Lite unit. Simply put in your total power load, the amount of time you want it to last, and the voltage your equipment runs on. It will give you a concise 
list of all the UPS units that meet your needs.
If you'd rather browse their offerings yourself, they also have an interactive run times page where you can look up individual models and see their capacity.
Then, going one step further, you also have the option to add external battery packs to your Tripp Lite UPS. These work exactly as you'd expect: each one you add will double or triple the amount of power available to your UPS. Get a big enough unit with enough batteries, and it could theoretically last you all day.
So, the answer to the question “How much run time does a Tripp Lite UPS offer?” really is, “As much as you're willing to pay for.” Whether you only need to keep power online for a few minutes while you start up a backup generator, or you may need to wait hours for a repairman, there's an option available for you.
If you're uncertain how much run time you'll need from your UPS, contact us and we'll be happy to discuss your options!
