RAM | Reseller Advocate Magazine: Issue 61

By Chris Angelini

The VAR's job requires a mix of science and art. When I work on a needs assessment for a small business customer looking to overhaul its IT infrastructure, I'm usually able to take what I know about the latest hardware and turn it into a functional parts list. In a bid situation, it's easy to compare specifications and see which reseller "went cheap" in order to hit the lowest price. Does the server only have one hard drive? Sorry, that isn't going to cut it. You really want to try running Server 2003 on a box with 512MB of memory? Didn't think so.

That's the scientific part—building boxes that run well using a solid mix of hardware and software. Compiling a parts list gets a little trickier once you move past the servers, workstations, and network storage enclosures. Smart resellers have to pay attention to infrastructure even before ordering parts. Network performance, for example, is going to bottleneck the speed of batch backups. The same goes for small businesses centralizing data on an SBS or dedicated file server. Getting artistic means straying from straight specifications to make the infrastructure improvements a customer might be less likely to prioritize.

In my experience, most small businesses outsourcing IT support to a reseller or consultant have very little invested into power protection. But perhaps that's because picking the right power protection seems more like an art than a science. When I ask small business customers how they came to choose the 350VA under their front office desk, most will say they picked it up on their own accord from the local Best Buy or Staples. SMBs know they need protection, but guidance is in short supply.

That's when the educated VAR steps in with information on the options out there, enough knowledge to make a reasonable estimation of how much protection a customer should be using, and the experience to know when a small business' existing infrastructure might not be adequate to handle a planned installation of, say, four new servers.

Start with Battery Backup

When most customers talk of buying power protection, they're referring to battery backup. Whereas large enterprises generally have generators that kick on when the power goes out, small and medium businesses are at the electric company's whim. Sometimes it's a storm that knocks off the lights. Other times it's a car plowing into the transformer. No matter what the circumstance, SMBs with critical data on their PCs (that's all of them, agreed?) need the peace of mind a UPS provides.

Many of the small business owners I've talked to believed battery backup was a prohibitively expensive luxury. The truth of the matter is that there are three UPS technologies available at very different price points. Understanding them all will help you determine where each fits best.

The least expensive battery backup technology is referred to as standby. Filtered AC power runs through a standby unit as the primary power source. Should there be a failure, an internal switch trips and transfers the load to a battery. Standby UPSes include much of the same functionality found in surge suppressors, including a filter to remove unwanted line noise. You can usually find standby units priced anywhere from $40. Obviously, that's an incredibly attractive price point for SOHO customers and SMBs who simply don't know any better. Be careful where you deploy standby technology, though.

"Standby systems work well in network critical situations, but not mission critical," says Ray West, Liebert's national VAR channel manager. "They give you very limited TVSS [transient voltage surge suppression] and no power conditioning. Use standby technology on the assistant's machine in the front office to give a little run-time in the event of an outage, but not on the SMB server sensitive to data loss."

Line interactive power supplies are a step up from standby designs because they feature faster response times and better filtering. When everything is functioning normally, the AC line still delivers primary power. However, a transformer simultaneously charges the battery and feeds the output. A power failure trips the transfer switch, reversing flow from the battery. Liebert's Ray West is more likely to recommend line interactive technology to an SMB customer looking to protect servers and workstations.

"Stepping up to line interactive backup systems gives your customer line conditioning, which helps protect against extreme voltages. Many line interactive supplies enable network-based monitoring and can be scaled through additional battery cabinets. Take the SMB with its network equipment connected to a UPS with 10 minutes of battery run-time, for example. Should that customer wish to adopt VoIP and install a Cisco 2800, it can use an extra battery cabinet to add 80 more minutes of power protection to the new voice system."

The highest-end battery backup technology is called online, or double-conversion. Ironically, a double-conversion supply operates inverse to the least expensive type of UPS, standby. Both employ AC line input and a battery. However, battery power is the double-conversion UPS' primary source, with the utility line being secondary. Operating normally, AC input continuously charges the battery, which drives an inverter. In the event of a power outage, the battery simply stops getting charged and runs until exhausted. If the UPS fails entirely, power is switched over to the utility line, protected by surge suppression and a line filter. There is no transfer time to cause trouble. Of course, the engineering that goes into manufacturing chargers and inverters that operate 24x7 results in significant premiums on double-conversion supplies.

Selling Power Protection

Understanding the three prevalent UPS types is easy enough. Given each technology's strengths, resellers should have little trouble determining where each UPS fares best. But evaluating an SMB's needs, hitting the right price point, and really addressing the application is where selling power protection gets tricky.

Liebert's Ray West suggests leading off with a sales focus and following up at an application level. During the sales phase, you're asking the questions that'll help determine where UPS systems should be installed and what components require protection. Once you have a commitment, it's possible to drill down and determine whether it'd be better to install three 2,000VA units or consolidate to one 6,000VA box. Focusing on an application also gives you an opportunity to upsell. Understanding that many customers see price before technology, West recommends leading off with a line interactive system as an SMB server solution, for example, and later upselling the merits of double-conversion. Resellers unsure of how much backup they need should check out any one of the many online configurators dedicated to that purpose. And build in at least a little room to expand where possible.

One problem many resellers run into is it seems, is acquiring enough knowledge of UPS systems and technologies to ask the questions that would help identify the right equipment. I know that when I engage an SMB, it's often difficult to determine the business' needs since in many cases its owner isn't even sure. As you help choose hardware and get a feel for the role IT plays in your customer's office, try to gauge how critical uptime is to its business applications. What level of availability does your customer need? One of my clients only uses seven PCs. But his server communicates in realtime with gas pipeline measurement equipment. When there's a problem, he's paid to know about it. Obviously, his small business demands enterprise-level uptime, even when the power goes out.

You can also add value by determining which devices require battery backup. Attempting to plug every piece of technology into a UPS is prohibitively expensive and many of those components that do sit behind protection are best suited to different UPS types.

"Without question, you want a server protected by a line-interactive UPS at least," says Ray West. "The smart reseller will encourage spending extra on that 1,500VA unit for a machine requiring 750VA, building a bit of scalability into the sale. Plug in a laser printer, though, and now you're talking about 6,000VA of protection to keep those motors running. Instead, protect the printer with a good surge suppressor and save the battery backup for high-availability hardware. Spend a little extra where is makes sense and recognize where you can save the customer money."

VARs that actively monitor and maintain SMB networks can use manageability features to differentiate as well. Most UPS systems are equipped to communicate with connected equipment. Software running on an attached server usually determines available run-time based on loading. When the power goes out, you can set the app to alert the business owner, for example. If there's no action after 10 minutes, it'll fire off an email to you. Should another 10 minutes pass without intervention, most software packages will close any open applications and gracefully power the server down to prevent data loss.

Taking Power to the Next Level

Asking the right questions is great for planning deployment strategies. Knowing the technology helps secure deals. However, once you've captured the SMB's attention and are called on to deliver, donning the application cap will help you iron out details.

First, there's the issue of physical deployment. SMBs with a couple of pedestal servers probably want battery backup to match. Customers adopting more space-friendly rack-mount enclosures will take the same route for power protection. When you drop a UPS into a rack, though, power distribution becomes an issue. Rather than stretch a cord three feet down to the UPS, run a couple of of power distribution units (PDUs). A PDU basically plugs into the UPS and puts actual sockets in convenient reach of racked equipment.

Of course, packing servers into a dense rack introduces other infrastructure concerns. A typical 15A wall socket is able to handle about 2000VA. Not surprisingly, a 12U enclosure even partially populated will need more than that. Having a contractor run a 20A or 30A line might be the only way to deliver enough power to a dense rack of servers. Resellers finding themselves bumping up against infrastructure limits regularly might even partner with a contractor to offer upgrade solutions.

Liebert's Ray West suggests taking the opportunity to talk about consolidation. A customer with growing IT needs might be adding a third or fourth UPS to cope with the expansion. Because each new unit introduces a potential failure point, and considering you're having a contractor come out to do work anyway, consolidating multiple units down to one large UPS is a good way to improve efficiency and minimize risk.

Security in Power Protection

Almost every surge suppressor and UPS includes some sort of equipment guarantee against failure. I've always found it interesting that even $100 supplies insure against damages up to hundreds of thousands of dollars. But after talking to a couple of different vendors, I discovered that failures do happen, albeit very rarely, and those policies are honored. Ray West of Liebert claims that warranty services are much more important than equipment damage protection, though.

"Supplies below 3,000VA are covered by a two-year warranty. Should a customer encounter problems, we ship a replacement unit to arrive the next business day with a call tag. Box up the old UPS, call our 800 number, and it'll be picked up. Anything above 3,000VA is going to be more difficult to ship, so Liebert Global Services will respond with a replacement, on-site, within four hours."

If you're going to be involved deploying power protection, that's the level of support you'll want to leverage. Having access to an authoritative pre-sales information source certainly helps. West also points out that as resellers get their feet wet in selling power protection, local Liebert reps are available to help plan more complex installations. Following up with the on-site replacement policy should assure your customer that those high-end supplies simply don't go bad. Since the company employs selective distribution, doing business with large vendors such as Ingram Micro and Tech Data, margins on its UPS systems are high. When there's an opportunity like that to add value, make good money, and protect my customers against data loss, I take it.