When supply chain innovations company The Logistics Bureau (TLB) established a subsidiary company to host applications for clients, 24x7 uptime was crucial and its small UPS devices on its servers were no longer a guarantee of this continuous uptime.
TLB`s solution was to go to Drive Control Corporation (DCC) to source an APC UPS which has enabled the new company, Collaborative Xchange, to continue operations during the four power failures that have occurred since the system was implemented in May.
According to Andre Kruger, TLB`s IT manager, companies which access Collaborative Xchange`s portal rely on it for their business success, therefore, in the event of a power outage, all systems and operations must be sustained for the duration.
Collaborative Xchange is the first logistics portal in South Africa and one of only five of its kind worldwide.
"The portal truly needs to be a 24x7 operation and the nature of our standard utility power is such that TLB needed to run its computer centre off a reliable UPS all the time," says Fred Mitchell, APC product manager at DCC, which has distributed APC UPSs for a number of years.
"The technology we installed and the solutions we provide mean we couldn`t play games and all areas with a high risk of failure had to be eliminated," Kruger emphasises.
TLB did evaluate other units but Kruger believes the technical specifications of APC products are far superior to anything else. Its Symmetra technology, which is unique to this brand at the moment, means all internal modules (controllers, batteries etc.) are hot swappable, resulting in zero downtime. In addition, after-sales support from DCC and APC has been superior, he says.
This particular UPS installation has the longest uptime - 2 hours and 20 minutes on a 60% load - in the country. Only 20 seconds elapse before the generator supplies full current UPS after a utility power failure.
The smart slot at the back carries remote management capabilities and temperature and humidity controls. Real time environmental data is available via the intranet/internet and full system management can be performed remotely by authorised IT personal. Integration with the existing WatchDog system in the computer room allows immediate notification of potential problems and alerts to IT staff members via active voice mail and SMS messages.
"When you buy an APC, you`re serious about UPSs - APC is not your run-of-the-mill device," says Kruger. "It employs superior technology and has proven exceptionally reliable. Since our computer room has been running off the filtered power supplied by the Symmetra, we have eliminated regular replacement of faulty power supplies in our servers due to utility power fluctuations. In addition, expensive parts like globes in the projectors in our training room are no longer affected. APC has given us much better protection and increased our up-time to near 100%."
Share