No, Your Power Strip Isn’t Protecting Your Workstation from Surges

What’s the difference between a power strip and a surge protector? It turns out, quite a lot, and the difference is much more than just the number of plugs on it. Let’s discuss some of the biggest ways that these two important pieces of power supply technology differ and how you should determine which one best suits your needs.

The Biggest Difference Between Surge Protectors and Power Strips

A power strip supplies power through a strip (no, really, that’s all it is). A surge protector, on the other hand, will protect any devices plugged into it from a power surge. I know, I know. You’re thinking, “duh,” but understanding this difference is so, so important for business owners.

Why Do You Need to Know This Difference?

To illustrate why, let’s look at a potential situation.

Let’s say you have several important peripherals plugged into a power strip. This might include a workstation, your phone handset, or other important devices. If a power surge strikes your business, the power strip could potentially get overloaded and damaged. That’s not all, though; the power surge could also damage the devices plugged into the strip. These devices might be so damaged that you have to replace them entirely.

With downtime also in the picture, you’re looking at an expensive problem that could have been avoided if you were using technology that was protected from the power surge. A surge protector can reroute the excess power into the outlet’s ground, thus protecting the technology plugged into it from damage. Of course, the surge protector might get damaged, but replacing a surge protector is much less expensive than replacing everything plugged into it.

BUYER BEWARE: Watch out for power strips labeled as surge protectors but that don’t provide the protection the name suggests. Reach out to us for help with telling the difference.

An Uninterruptible Power Supply is Better for Damage Control

Both power strips and surge protectors can be overwhelmed and damaged by too much power, leaving your other technology without any power. This isn’t good, and ideally you’ll want to implement a solution that can give you enough power to appropriately power down your systems before failure.

A UPS can help certain technologies, like workstations and servers, function briefly before the internal battery of the device runs dry. You can use this time to shut down your protected devices properly, which will reduce data loss.

Let’s Work Together to Protect Your Technology

OnSite I.T. can help your business protect and secure its technology. To learn more, call us at (403) 210-2927 today.