Looking back and forward

ELINEX was set up 20 years ago by Huub van Raamsdonk. In those days automating business processes was not yet as commonplace as it is today.

Forward-looking companies had an on-site terminal for recording stocks, back-orders etc. Customer orders were entered into the data terminals by 'data typists' but typewriters too were still in widespread use. The fax had just arrived and shortly afterwards the PC took the world by storm and changed the entire business landscape.

Packages like DbaseIII and WordPerfect provided small entrepreneurs with ready-made solutions, UNIX was introduced as the operating system for mid-sized companies.

PCs were then connected together to form networks permitting the mutual exchange of information. The Novell network was launched.

This was the period when organisations started embracing automation in a big way. Very soon, automation experts found that the quality and availability of power could not be taken for granted.

Anxious to minimise equipment interruptions, customers commissioned measurements of grid contamination and voltage distortion, allowing ELINEX to accumulate a body of expertise that the company still uses to this day. It was found that power failure could cause network servers to crash, leading to loss of data and costly work delays because systems needed to be restarted.

In the late 80s UNIX users concluded that emergency power systems were an absolute necessity. They were prepared to go a step further by having applications automatically shut down in the event of long grid outages. The large UPS manufacturers were unable to offer this, prompting ELINEX to develop its first-ever in-house product to meet this need.

Today, communication between emergency power systems and automation equipment is standard and - thanks to its extensive knowledge and numerous products - ELINEX is still the leader in this field.

Initially, ELINEX only delivered small to mid-sized systems. But then the 'internet boom' in the late nineties marked the birth of a new generation of emergency power systems with large electrical power capacities that were placed in data centres.

Availability thus took on a new dimension. A single emergency power system was no longer sufficient. Redundancy in the form of at least 2 parallel systems became an absolute requirement.

ELINEX responded to this demand, built up expertise and set up a service organisation to assist its customers 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Early in 2000 the European Union decided to liberalise and privatise the energy markets, reflecting its aspiration to become the world's most dynamic economy.

Briefly put, this change led to backlogs in investments in power infrastructure, leading to a greater dependence on foreign producers. The consequences were more grid outages and a deterioration in the quality of the power supply. ELINEX clearly noticed the effects in the increasing demand for emergency power systems and power conditioning. The most recent impulse is coming from new regulations, such as Basel II and Sarbanes-Oxley. These rules compel businesses to give more thought to continuity and the need for continuous data availability and to take all appropriate measures required to ensure this.

Looking ahead we can say the following:

• The growing importance of and dependence on evermore complex data and communication networks is also increasing the importance of a reliable power supply.
• Modern processors are becoming faster and operate at ever-lower voltages, making them more sensitive to variances in mains voltage, including grid contamination. The demand for mains voltage conditioning is thus increasing.
• The quality and availability of electric energy is decreasing due to the privatisation of the energy sector.
• Growing regulatory demands are forcing companies to take measures to ensure a good power supply.
• Organisations are also increasingly aware that purchasing an emergency power system is not enough. Professional management, including regular maintenance, is also necessary.