[Editor's Note]
Schneider Electric APC recently collaborated with Synology NAS to introduce new home UPS products. These products are expected to protect data produced at home from power outages in a work-from-home environment due to COVID-19, and also increase the lifespan of mechanical equipment. Accordingly, e4ds News arranged an interview with Choi Dong-hoon, Manager of Schneider Electric, and Jin Seong-hoon, Deputy Manager of Able Store, to learn about home APC UPS products.

■ Please introduce Schneider Electric APC.

The APC brand is a brand that has been around for over 40 years, having been established in 1980. It is a UPS specialist and is part of Schneider's data center division.

The domestic market share is approximately 35%. It has about a 50% share in the global market.

The UPS itself is divided into a small single-phase UPS and a large three-phase UPS. The small UPS that I explained today can be seen as a product used in homes or small data centers. I can tell you that the company that specializes in home UPS is APC.

■ Please introduce Synology.

Synology is a company headquartered in Taiwan that develops and manufactures NAS. Since Synology does not have a branch in Korea, Able Store is the company that acts as an importer or branch office.

■ Home Why do you need UPS?

There have actually been many changes compared to the past. There is the coronavirus situation, and even without that, actual internet usage has increased significantly compared to the past.

In contrast, electricity is the same as before. In the summer, the reserve ratio of electricity usage decreases further, and the possibility of a power outage increases, but there is no equipment in the home to protect against a power outage.

In the case of companies and data centers, they usually have generators or UPSs, so they have insurance to protect them from power outages, but there is no such thing for homes.

Household data has increased significantly compared to the past, and a lot of data, photos, documents, etc. stored on general PCs such as NAS can be lost due to electrical problems other than power outages, such as lightning or surges, if they occur through the power lines, and this can damage or destroy IT equipment, causing the data to disappear.

Because of this, these things have become more important than before and can be thought of as insurance against electrical problems. The home UPS market has grown significantly compared to the past because it provides at least peace of mind.

■ I wonder what kind of synergy is created when using APC UPS and Synology NAS together.

The Synology NAS market used to be dominated by early adopters and enthusiasts. As the Corona issue arose, some people who didn’t know much about NAS or weren’t interested in it started looking for it, and in addition, there were cases where early adopters who had been ahead of the curve used it in conjunction with older APC UPS models.

Even before this collaboration, we had done one or two online promotions, and there were many cases where channels that sell Synology NAS actually sold APC UPS together or gave estimates or made suggestions.

In fact, we have already been offering and selling APC UPS together on our site for some time.

I have high hopes and expectations that this collaboration, which was not widely known in the individual market, will lead to further expansion of the market.

■ Home Please introduce UPS BVX

BVX or BX model is the Easy UPS BVX model and BX UPS model. It is a recently developed model and is different from the old model. There are topological differences.

The old model was an offline UPS that only operated on battery power when there was a power outage and had no other special functions, but the BVX and BX models are called lining-inactive and have a basic AVR (automatic voltage regulation) function installed in front of them even when there is no actual power outage.

Even if the input voltage is uneven, it is equipped with a function that compensates for high or low voltage to match the general 220V.

These features were previously only available in enterprise-level models, but are now standard on BVX and BX models.

The BX model provides a communication module that can be used to connect to NAS, PC, etc. through a communication port, and to use actual automatic shutdown and UPS information.

In particular, the BX model also provides a port with a network surge protection function to prevent surges from entering the Ethernet port.

The biggest feature of connecting the Internet line through a UPS is that it protects against surges and also protects the electrical lines.

UPS power outage compensation times are similar. I don't think there is any need to specifically mention that part.

■ Lastly, please give us a word.

▷Choi Dong-hoon, Manager, Schneider Electric Secure Business Division

In fact, I also have more time to work from home due to COVID-19. In the past, going to work was normal, but now working from home has become a daily routine.

When I work from home, I sometimes feel like the power is out. Working long hours at home definitely makes me think that protection against power outages is necessary.

In fact, in Korea, because the quality of electricity is good, there was almost no need for UPS compared to other foreign countries, but now, many actual users have changed their minds.

I feel like I need something to protect me, and most fundamentally, for electrical protection, having a small UPS at the front gives me the peace of mind that I am protected.

In particular, Synology customers or customers using other NAS, as well as customers using cloud system media such as hard disks that are actually turned on 24 hours a day, must definitely have it. Without it, data cannot be guaranteed.

If you are considering an APC UPS, I think it would be a more reliable way to protect your data.

▷Jin Seong-hun, Able Store Assistant Manager

If subscribers see the collaboration, I think the value has changed a lot.

It doesn't seem like it was that long ago that we didn't think the data we had at home was that important.

Recently, as we spend more time at home and spend more time with our families, I think the importance of data held by households or individuals has increased significantly.

I think protecting the data on your Synology NAS and pairing it with an APC UPS to keep it safe is a great and necessary configuration.