Emergency Power much needed for audiovisual solutions provider

The initial contact was to their satisfaction and Van Domburg really feels it has a partnership with ELINEX. ELINEX Power Solutions ensures that in case of emergencies there is enough power to safely shut down the servers. The business market frequently uses audiovisual solutions, such as screens and meeting solutions, or a combination of both. Well-known brands such as Samsung and LG approach the business market differently from the private market; the solutions they offer for professional use also differ. For the distribution of such equipment, the companies work with partner companies. Ridderkerk-based Van Domburg Partners is one such company. Because Van Domburg Partners depends on reliable IT systems, an emergency power supply is a requirement. ELINEX Power Solutions ensures that Van Domburg Partners would have enough power for a sufficient period of time to safely shut down the servers in case of emergencies. We speak to Operations and IT manager Matthijs de Kort of Van Domburg Partners.

Delivery of AV equipment within one day

"The AV equipment we supply is in stock and delivered by our own transport to the business market," Matthijs opens the conversation. "We go very far in our service. In fact, the equipment is delivered on location, to the person who has to work with it. We unpack the boxes together, check that everything works and even take the empty boxes with us. Our great strength is the speed with which we do this, we even deliver large batches of equipment within a day, if requested."

Van Domburg Partners works continuously with 75 permanent employees to serve the business community. That entails a hefty organisation. Matthijs outlines, "We offer online info, we do our warehousing digitally of course, we process orders digitally... then you understand why our IT systems are so important. In case of grid failures or power outages, files get corrupted because the computers are not shut down properly. When I started working at Van Domburg Partners in October 2022, I saw numerous areas for improvement in terms of emergency power. The emergency power supply appeared to be faltering and dated. Reason for me to look for a good solution and that's how I ended up at ELINEX. We also turned out to be neighbours of each other here in Ridderkerk."

'Expertise within walking distance'

Matthijs explains that while we still think that a continuous, reliable power supply is considered normal in the Netherlands, this is no longer the case. "We are increasingly facing capacity shortages. In the Ridderkerk region, too, we increasingly notice dips in the network. If we did not have an emergency power supply that would ensure that our servers are not affected by these dips -or in the worst case total failure- then the failure could cause damage to hardware as well as software and data files. In emergencies, you need to be able to continue working unhindered, or have long enough backup power to shut down the servers properly, shutting down everything software as it should."

In the search for suppliers for emergency power supplies, Matthijs came across great references about ELINEX. "And at companies where everything listens even more critically than we do," he explains. "The fact that ELINEX is also within walking distance is even better." Matthijs also has a genuine feeling of working in partnership with ELINEX. "That is important to me. I only want to work with approachable people and be heard and seen. That sits quite well."

Server monitoring with minimal manpower

At the time of our conversation, the whole process is almost complete. "Two months ago we gave the order. It's pleasing that ELINEX did all the preparatory work before they came here. This is also how we work ourselves. Testing beforehand, ensuring a basic set-up and then moving on to a smooth implementation. That implementation took place three weeks ago in our server room." A Centiel solution was chosen including automation that ensures that in case of emergencies, the server farm is switched off in a controlled manner. "This is done with minimal manpower; the system monitors everything day and night. The configuration has a bypass: if during a dip or outage there is no power from the grid for more than 15 minutes, we still have 1.5 hours of battery capacity left for the system to automatically shut down the servers. That is more than enough time and extensively researched beforehand," Matthijs said.

When calamities are detected, Matthijs receives an SMS or email notifying him of the failure. "While the servers are switched off, we have enough time to go to the office. So we don't have to do any dangerous manoeuvres on the way, because we can trust that ELINEX's equipment has things under control. For us, this is a very good, reliable, pragmatic and, above all, affordable solution."