I read with interest on Guardian online that Britain’s oil and gas companies, including BP, Shell and British Gas which recently announced record profits, are saying they need improvements in tax breaks if they are to meet higher production targets in the North Sea.

On the one hand, in my view, it seems they are holding Britain (and every energy consumer in the country) to ransom; ‘give us the economic incentive or we wont invest in North Sea Gas!’. But if we can’t produce enough Gas at home our imports will have to increase and that, I think, is bad news. We have little or no control over foreign supplies, which could be affected by political, economic or regulatory issues beyond our control. We can’t influence continuity or security of supply nor pricing. I think for these reasons Britain’s energy companies should be given some incentivising tax breaks to protect our North Sea interests. Of course it’s a contentious issue and one that will run and run but how else are we supposed to compete on the world stage if we do not protect, or invest in, our own energy assets? Limited as they are we need to keep them operational.

I was asked to write an article last week about choosing the right UPS provider and it got me thinking about all the issues  to be considered as well as the all important price. Too many business managers are forced into selecting on price when doing so could actually cost more in the long run if it results in a less than perfect installation. Does the provider understand the mechanics and characteristics of your business, for example? There is a vast difference between protecting the critical systems of a healthcare establishment and a retail operation, for example. Do they add value to the installation by offering consultancy, site surveys, extended warranty, monitoring and maintenance, and so on, which reduce the overall running costs and total cost of ownership of the equipment? Does their culture match yours? Will you find their engineers lounging about reception, smoking and loudly regaling about last night’s football or will they be smartly but appropriately dressed, polite and professional whenever they are onsite?

Price, of course, is important but it should reflect criticality of the installation as well as value for money from the UPS itself and the benefits of the long-term partnership that the provider brings. UPS is critical to continuity of operations in the event of a power failure. It, therefore, needs to be given the same consideration as any other critical equipment in my view and a provider chosen because of their knowledge, sector expertise, ability to add value and product innovation.

For more informaiton on selecting a UPS provider visit: Riello UPS