An Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) battery is a critical component of the power infrastructure in a data center or network closet, designed to provide immediate, short-term electricity to IT equipment in the event of a power outage. Unlike generators, which take time to start, the UPS battery activates instantly ensuring that servers, storage systems, and networking devices continue to operate without interruption.
This seamless transition protects against data loss, system crashes, and hardware damage, while also giving backup generators time to come online and take over the load for longer-term power needs.
Key Functions of a UPS Battery
- Power continuity. When the main power supply fails, the UPS battery takes over instantly, providing continuous power. Even a brief power loss can cause servers to crash or lead to corrupted files, making uninterruptible power essential. The UPS ensures that all systems stay online long enough for either recovery or a transition to another power source.
- Bridge to generators. UPS batteries typically can provide power for a few minutes—just enough time for backup generators to start up and take over the load. This short buffer period is crucial in large-scale environments where generators may take 10-60 seconds to fully come online. Without a UPS bridge, that gap would result in a complete shutdown of operational systems.
- Power conditioning. In addition to backup power, many UPS systems also stabilize incoming power, protecting equipment from surges, spikes, or voltage drops. Poor power quality can degrade equipment performance and shorten hardware lifespan over time. By filtering out electrical noise and maintaining consistent voltage, UPS systems help ensure reliable and safe operation of IT infrastructure.
How DCIM Software Helps with UPS Battery Management
Data Center Infrastructure Management (DCIM) software can be used to manage and monitor all your UPSs across all sites.
With a modern DCIM solution, you can centrally track all UPS assets in all racks across all locations, manage your battery maintenance schedule, track key statistics such as run time remaining, health of battery, and capacity utilization, and get alerted when the UPS loses commercial power.
Want to see how Sunbird’s world-leading DCIM software makes it easy for you to manage your UPSs? Get your free test drive now!