PDU

How it works

• A rack-mounted power strip with enough outlets and capacity for firewall, switch and servers.
• Better models show power use and can switch outlets on and off remotely.
• Labelling each outlet makes a remote fix possible when something hangs.

What can go wrong (example scenario)

A five-person engineering firm's network cabinet had three daisy-chained consumer power bars. A cleaner's vacuum tripped one. The firewall, switch and a NAS went down together, and nobody knew which plug went where.

How WILDCARD handles it

Network covers the on-premises firewall and switch. A labelled PDU in the cabinet, ideally one that can be switched remotely, makes a remote restart possible instead of a drive across town.

• A dental office's network cabinet gets one PDU on the UPS, every cable labelled.
• A law firm wants its firewall power-cycled remotely at 7 a.m. after a lockup.
• A contractor's shop has equipment on five separate power bars and no idea what the circuit can carry.

Example scenario: A small accounting firm's firewall froze on a Saturday. The switched PDU let the outlet be turned off and on from a laptop at home. The firewall came back in two minutes, staff working remotely got their VPN back, and nobody drove to the office.

A question owners ask

Do I need a PDU or is a power bar fine?

If the equipment is in a cabinet, a PDU keeps it labelled, rated and on the UPS. A switched one earns its cost the first time something needs a remote restart.