 Power protection involves protection against damage caused by spikes and surges and protection to data and equipment caused by brown outs and power failures. As a minimum each workstation, hub, printer and other sensitive piece of electronic equipment should be connected to a high quality surge protected power strip. It's important not to confuse the basic multiple outlet power strip with high quality surge protected models that cost upwards of $40 and more. However, surge protection is not always enough. If your network uses databases or other files containing large amounts of data in a single file you must protect against brown outs and power failures. Databases and other files that are open and in use when a power failure occurs run the risk of data corruption. This corruption can occur whether the power failure occurs at the server, the workstation or the hub/switch connecting the two.
Uninterruptible Power Supplies (UPS's) are designed to provide battery backup for 10-20 minutes in case of complete power failure and to provide supplemental power in the case of brown outs. Additionally, many UPS's come with software and cables that allow you to configure your server or workstation to perform a controlled shutdown if the battery is near exhausted. Your particular UPS needs will depend on the type of data you work with and the frequency of power fluctuations and outages. SERVERS SHOULD ALWAYS BE PROTECTED WITH A UPS.             
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Power Protection
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