When selecting an uninterruptible power supply (UPS), one of the first considerations is whether you want to deploy a centralized or decentralized solution. A centralized set-up refers to one large UPS protecting various loads, while distributed or decentralized UPSs deliver backup for multiple groups of loads locally. While a centralized UPS can be situated away from protected equipment in a separate room or space, decentralized UPSs must be installed near the actual equipment.
So, what's the best option? Start by weighing the advantages and disadvantages of each strategy. The primary benefit of a centralized system is that you’re able to isolate all of your maintenance, repair, replacement and security to the same single point. Higher efficiency, higher reliability, better visibility, and enhanced security are other advantages. Disadvantages to this strategy include higher up-front costs including installation, as well as the fact that power distribution from the UPS to the protected equipment can be more complicated.
The main advantages of a decentralized UPS solution are lower initial cost (including installation), self-serve maintenance (customers can often maintain UPSs themselves), and more flexibility for moves, additions and changes. Yet this strategy can yield managerial complexity and a decrease in security.
Some additional factors to consider when selecting a centralized vs. decentralized UPS include:
- Cost. Because centralized UPSs provide the ability to perform less maintenance, coupled with much higher efficiency ratings, they tend to yield higher ROI. The maintenance and monitoring costs are less when the UPS and batteries are housed together in one location, enabling easy and efficient servicing and monitoring. In a decentralized set-up, multiple UPSs need to be serviced and monitored individually, which increases costs. However, the installation costs are higher for a centralized UPS since special electrical outlets and support personnel are usually required. Conversely, most distributed UPSs are plug-and-play.
- Reliability. Because some centralized UPSs offer N+1 parallel redundancy, additional reliability can be achieved over decentralized units. However, not all centralized UPSs provide immunization against single point-of-failure, where all resources are concentrated in one place and if damage occurs to that resource, all dependent systems are affected. Centralized units are typically more reliable than their decentralized counterparts.
- Capacity Enhancement. With technology evolving at a rapid pace, most IT organizations will need to increase power requirements at some point. It can be helpful to have a UPS that is flexible enough to meet the increased demands for capacity or reliability. This can be accomplished by purchasing an additional decentralized UPS and adding it to the distributed system. However, some centralized UPSs now offer scalability through the simple and cost-effective addition of power modules.
- Space. Space can be either an advantage or disadvantage for both types of UPS, depending on your specific environment. A centralized set-up requires a separate room or location to house the larger UPS and its batteries. On the other hand, with decentralized systems, some amount of space is essential beside the equipment or within the rack where each UPS will be placed.
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