UPS runtime explained: why batteries fade faster under load
Ask “how long will my UPS run?” and the honest answer is “it depends” — on the load, the battery, its age and its temperature. The one thing that is certain is that a battery delivers far less than it…
VA vs watts vs amps: power factor explained for IT
Watts, volt-amps and amps describe the same electricity in three different ways, and the link between them — power factor — is where most UPS and circuit sizing mistakes happen. This guide explains al…
UPS topologies: standby vs line-interactive vs online
UPS come in three topologies — standby, line-interactive and online double-conversion — defined by the IEC 62040-3 standard (VFD, VI and VFI). They differ in how cleanly they protect the load and how …
Server room cooling: how much do you need? (UK guide)
Undersized cooling is one of the most common causes of thermal shutdowns and shortened hardware life in UK server rooms. The good news: the heat you must remove is almost exactly the power your IT dra…
UPS batteries: VRLA vs lithium-ion (UK 2026)
The battery is the part of a UPS that wears out — and the choice between valve-regulated lead-acid (VRLA) and lithium-ion now changes the whole ownership story. Lithium costs more upfront but lasts fa…
Your 2026 VMware renewal: negotiate, re-platform or exit
Two years on from the Broadcom acquisition, the second and third VMware renewals are landing — and the sticker shock has not worn off. Perpetual licences are gone, the catalogue has collapsed into a f…
Windows 10 end of support: ESU vs Windows 11 in 2026 (UK)
Mainstream Windows 10 support ended in October 2025, and the grace of Extended Security Updates only delays the reckoning — at an escalating price. If your fleet still has a tail of Windows 10 devices…
Do you actually need Microsoft 365 backup in 2026?
It's the question every IT lead eventually asks: Microsoft runs 365, it's highly available and geo-redundant — so surely my email and files are 'backed up'? The uncomfortable answer is that Microsoft …
SAN vs NAS vs DAS: how to choose the right storage architecture (UK 2026)
Three letters decide how your servers see their storage: DAS, NAS or SAN. Choose wrong and you either overspend on a shared array a single server never needed, or you bolt a file appliance onto a prob…
iSCSI vs Fibre Channel: choosing a block-storage SAN fabric (UK 2026)
Once you have decided you need a SAN, the next question is how the servers reach it: iSCSI over ordinary Ethernet, Fibre Channel over a dedicated storage fabric, or — for one or two hosts — direct-att…
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