Most would argue that this availability and ease of use has made their businesses more successful. Likewise, the Internet and on-line data services have made data from outside sources easier to access. While we all use this information, most of us don t think about the physical mechanism that allows us to get to this data. Even more critical than that are the computer systems which allow a multitude of other companies to function. If VISA s credit approval computers are down, for instance, hundreds of thousands of retail businesses cannot function properly, and millions of consumers are inconvenienced.
Many factors can cause a computer system to go down.
The most fundamental is a loss of power or poor power quality, and that, of course is where the on-site power industry comes in. Like healthcare facilities, computer data centers have special power needs, and special backup power needs. The following articles demonstrate some of these needs through two case studies. One, Acxiom Corporation, shows how the quickly growing need for computer data services has made it difficult for the standby power systems to keep up. The other, America Online, demonstrates the challenge posed by the need to service the emergency power equipment without causing an interruption of power to the computer equipment.