You are here: Home / Business

The Uninterruptible Power Supply

Wednesday, July 8, 2009 By Kerry View Comments

An important consideration in any business environment is the power available for the computer(s) and network equipment. Depending on your local utility company, it may be a necessity. Here’s a little bit about the Uninterruptible Power Supply from Wikipedia and a white paper (read: sales tool) from APC – about the importance of protecting your data with a solid power infrastructure.

An uninterruptible power supply (UPS), also known as a battery back-up, provides emergency power and, depending on the topology, line regulation as well to connected equipment by supplying power from a separate source when utility power is not available. It differs from an auxiliary or emergency power system or standby generator, which does not provide instant protection from a momentary power interruption. A UPS, however, can be used to provide uninterrupted power to equipment, typically for 5–15 minutes until an auxiliary power supply can be turned on, utility power restored, or equipment safely shut down.

While not limited to safeguarding any particular type of equipment, a UPS is typically used to protect computers, data centers, telecommunication equipment or other electrical equipment where an unexpected power disruption could cause injuries, fatalities, serious business disruption or data loss. UPS units come in sizes ranging from units which will back up a single computer without monitor (around 200 VA) to units which will power entire data centers or buildings (several megawatts).

Source: Wikipedia – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uninterruptible_power_supply

Preventing Data Corruption in the Event of an Extended Power Outage(PDF):

“Despite advances in computer technology, power outages continue to be a major cause of PC and server downtime. Protecting computer systems with Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) hardware is part of a total solution, but power management software is also necessary to prevent data corruption after extended power outages. Various software configurations are discussed, and best practices aimed at ensuring uptime are presented.”

Filed Under: Business, Fault Tolerance Tagged With: , , ,

The Bertz Group Web Site Updated

Tuesday, December 2, 2008 By Kerry View Comments

Every now and then we like to change up the look and feel of our website to keep it looking and feeling fresh. We’re big fans of (and use for development) the Studiopress series of premium WordPress themes. They offer a great mix of function and form for the venerable WordPress publishing platform.

Filed Under: Business Tagged With: , , , , ,

Complex Licensing in Windows Server 2008?

Friday, May 30, 2008 By Kerry View Comments

Ars Technica addresses some of the complicated licensing schemes of Windows Server 2008.

Filed Under: Business, Microsoft Tagged With: , ,

FreshBooks

Sunday, March 30, 2008 By Kerry View Comments

On the advice of an esteemed associate of mine, I decided to check out an online billing and time-tracking system - FreshBooks - for use here at The Bertz Group.

The industry standard for business accounting is Intuit’s well-known Quickbooks, but after evaluating both the “Simple Start” and “Professional” editions of Quickbooks, I came away with the feeling that I needed neither the feature-set nor the headache associated with maintaining such a comprehensive system.

FreshBooks “is an online invoicing and time tracking service that saves you time and makes you look professional – Fortune 500 professional. FreshBooks is easy to use and you can try it for free.” I signed up for the free service, and within an hour, had forked over the $14 upgrade fee for my first month. Easily customizable, with some unique features and a better way for me to interact with my clients, I’ve really grown to appreciate the product.

Freshbooks contains a customer support-ticket tracking system, allows my clients access to their invoices online, and provides them with the ability to see account history and download PDF invoices. It’s been my desire for some time to use as little paper as possible in my organization, and I think Freshbooks provides a fantastic interface for doing so; a paperless office reduces my costs and is probably a little better for the environment. If desired, Freshbooks can generate paper invoices and mail them out for a marginal cost.

All in all, I’m extremely pleased with the FreshBooks product and team – their support is terrific, and I’m now a regular in the forums, even answering a couple of questions when I get the opportunity. If you’re a small-business owner or freelancer, I highly recommend checking out FreshBooks for your billing/ time-tracking/ support ticket needs.

Filed Under: Business Tagged With: , ,

The Bertz Group Opens For Business

Tuesday, February 26, 2008 By Kerry View Comments

Thanks for stopping by! This is the home of The Bertz Group, a Santa Barbara, CA-based technology consulting firm. Specializing in small to mid-size business and residential computer and network consulting, we are willing to take on any problem, no matter how big or small.

Director of The Bertz Group, Kerry DeVilbiss, a Microsoft Certified Professional and I.T. consultant extraordinaire, had this to say about the launch of business: “It is really exciting to be able to provide upper-tier Information Technology services to the Santa Barbara community, filling the void for premier-quality technology consulting with integrity. With an abundance of experience in the field, I’ve seen and heard the full gamut of IT consulting nightmares. The Bertz Group aims to usher in a new era of information technology consulting – reliability and transparency with the customer’s best interests at the forefront of our philosophy.”

The Bertz Group aims to simplify the day to day needs of information technology within your business, reducing overall costs and decreasing the amount of downtime associated with your IT systems. Call us today to schedule an appointment! 

Filed Under: Business Tagged With: , , , , ,