You mean to save your work regularly. You really do. But once you start filling out contracts and posting listings, the time slips away. On more than one occasion you've probably lost data, and now you're considering a UPS (uninterruptible power supply) to save work if the power goes out.

Which UPS system is best for you? 

The first step is to get a rough idea how much energy you use, at a minimum, should the power go out; start by figuring out how many volt-amps you need. If your hardware (computer, monitor, printer, etc.) is rated in amps, multiply the number of amps used by 120. If your equipment is rated in watts, multiply that number by 1.67. 

For example, if your monitor uses 3 amps and your computer uses 100 watts, you would need 360 (3 x 120) amps to run the monitor and 167 (100 x 1.67) watts to run the computer. Add those together (360 + 167) for a needed minimum of 527 volt-amps.

Also make sure the UPS you buy has a joule rating of at least 400. (Joule is a unit of energy -- one watt/second equals one joule.) A rating of 400 should protect you from most power surges. While the UPS should provide enough power for you to safely close programs and shut down your computer, some also include free software that, when installed on your hard drive, automatically close programs for you. 

We compared three UPS Battery Backup systems that might be considered by a small- to medium-sized office looking for added protection: 

 Other research resources:

www.cnet.com
www.tigerdirect.com
www.pcworld.com