Questions and Answers For All Contingency
Planners
The following should answer some of your many questions.
Please feel free to contact us with additional questions by calling
973-983-1120 or e-mailing us at sales@btechinc.com.
Question: Why should I invest in a BTECH
System? I've already invested in the power management, power conditioning
and power backup equipment to protect my critical systems.
Answer: A Contingency Planning & Management survey found power
failures or surges to cause over 45% of all computing and network
equipment failures or data loss. Other equally respected surveys
found even higher percentages of lost or corrupted data from power
disturbances.
You wonder how this can be so with the widespread use of modern
power backup systems. To connect the dots, first consider the power
hungry demands of your vital systems. Next consider the many power
daily power interruptions and anomalies you experience. You quickly
come to the conclusion that your UPS power batteries take a daily
pounding.
This is because your UPS power batteries keep power to critical
systems at required levels. When they get weak or fail your critical
systems fail. The number of UPS power batteries used varies based
on the application from as few as forty to several hundred or more
per system.
UPS power Batteries, which can be 30 times larger than your car
battery, are inherently unpredictable. For example we have documented
cases of brand new batteries failing in as little as two weeks following
installation. Based on industry statistics, between 4-6% of all
new batteries will fail in their first year of installation. By
year four over 60% will have failed. When they fail your critical
systems fail.
Question: Is this a new technology?
Answer: BTECH, now in its 5th generation has been in existence
17 years. Historically we have installed thousands of systems globally
in corporate data centers, high visibility government agencies and
vital military facilities. Currently, awareness & application
of the technology is quickly expanding due to the growth of Business
Continuity, High Availability and Disaster Recovery Plans.
Question: Is BTECH in the battery or UPS
Businesses?
Answer: No we are not in the battery or UPS businesses. Our focus
is simple and clear. We are in the business of helping to keep your
vital applications running by assuring your UPS power batteries
remain capable of generating needed power.
Question: Why do UPS power batteries fail
so quickly following installation?
Answer: There are many possible causes. UPS power batteries are
manufactured around the globe under diverse conditions. There are
variations in production materials and quality control. Batteries
must be tested, handled, stored, transported over oceans in containers,
shipped by truck, warehoused and finally delivered to you. During
installation, they require proper charging, handling, physical installation
and finally room conditioning.
Keep in mind UPS power batteries are under constant stress from
everyday power grid anomalies on the one side and your very demanding
applications on the other.
Question: What happens after the first year?
Do they remain unpredictable?
Answer: Yes, industry statistics show that 66% of UPS power batteries
will require replacement within the first 4 years of service!
Question: What causes this high percentage
of failures?
Answer: There is no single cause. Your power management, power conditioning
and power backup systems have to deal with stressful power grid
problems on the one hand and demanding system applications on the
other. For example, we have seen customer applications incur 27
power failures of less than 10 seconds each in a single workday.
Although unnoticed by the human eye, these interruptions can wreak
havoc on the sensitive electronics that run your vital systems.
This type of real-world circumstance puts tremendous stress on your
batteries.
Question: Can't we solve this problem another
way? For example, can't I simply buy better batteries?
Answer: Actually no. Install new batteries and you simply start
the process all over. Most battery manufacturers turn out the best
quality product possible. Actually with BTECH Technology, your best
strategy is to replace only the identified units and keep the units
that are reliable.
Question: How does Battery Monitoring help
me?
Answer: For the first time, you can detect impending battery failures
before your critical system is affected! You will know in advance
which batteries should be replaced and have the time to act accordingly.
You replace the batteries and your critical systems keep running!
Question: How Does Battery Monitoring Work?
Answer: The technique is actually very simple! BTECH installs a
system on site that senses each of your batteries. The BTECH system
works 24X7 and provides the earliest possible detection of coming
battery failure. The BTECH system actually identifies the specific
battery. So you just change the one that is going to fail you.
Question: Can't my power management, power
conditioning or backup system monitor my batteries?
Answer: No your power devices cannot detect developing power battery
problems in advance. Please use caution not to fall victim to features
provided with many products, which alert to the fact after you developed
a problem. You need to know before they fail not after they fail
and it's too late.
Actually they cause more problems because the charging circuits
often overcharge the good batteries in an effort to make up for
lost power. This goes on until the weak or faulty battery just crashes.
To further complicate matters, they don't identify the battery or
batteries that need replacing. They use technicians to manually
analyze the system to find them. Once this is done, they need to
order them, install and test them usually under conditions of extreme
urgency. This hunt and peck method can lead to creating physical
and electrical connectivity problems where none existed.
The bottom line is the backup system providers and power-conditioning
providers need to do what they do best and leave the early detection
business to BTECH.
Question: Is a BTECH System expensive?
Answer: Typically, a BTECH system costs a fraction of the total
outlay for power related devices. In most cases, BTECH is very easily
cost justified when factored into your Operational Impact Analysis.
From a standpoint of priority, you can view BTECH Technology as
important to your power plan and equipment as a firewall is to your
computers and network servers.
Question: We have not had a problem yet so
why do I really need BTECH?
Answer: The simple honest answer is you are rolling the dice. Your
contingency plan identifies critical applications and the support
technology needed to keep them operating under adverse conditions.
The last thing you want is for the support technology to fail when
needed or worse be the cause of a system crash during normal operating
conditions!
Question: Does BTECH provide other products?
Answer: No. BTECH is not in the battery business, the UPS business
or power management business. Our focus is simple and objective.
We have no axe to grind nor do we have any conflict of interest.
We are dedicated to preventing your vital systems from crashing
due to undetected bad UPS power batteries. We do provide several
related support services for customers such as equipment preventive
maintenance and a remote power battery monitoring service.
Question: How does the remote monitoring service
work?
Answer: Many customers have limited human resources. They require
BTECH to monitor their UPS power batteries remotely and provide
alerts or advisories when needed. In effect, you have a 24x7 auxiliary
staff on watch to detect and analyze the ongoing status of your
UPS power batteries.
Question: Can BTECH Technology help me meet
legal or regulatory requirements?
Answer: BTECH documented reports and charts can tangibly demonstrate
that all feasible steps have been taken to ensure UPS battery power
is available to support vital data applications, networks and critical
systems.
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