Kemp | Glossary of Terms and Phrases

An Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) is a battery backed power management device that is placed in the chain between IT infrastructure and electricity feeds. It provides multiple functions. Firstly, it regulates the power delivery from public or private electricity supplies to prevent spikes that might damage IT Infrastructure. A UPS also provides battery backup in the event of a failure of mains electricity supply. The amount of battery backup depends on the load and the battery capacity. In many cases it bridges the gap to allow supply to be reestablished. Lastly, UPS solutions provide software tools that will gracefully power down IT infrastructure if the power is interrupted for extended periods and no local supply can bridge the gap. This prevents system corruption due to unexpected server shutdown.