Overvoltage

Overvoltage refers to an increase in electrical voltage beyond the operating range specified for a device or electrical installation. It can occur briefly or persist for a longer period and may be caused by lightning strikes, switching operations within the power grid, power disturbances or faulty electrical installations. In IT infrastructures, overvoltage can damage power supplies, servers, switches, storage systems and other electronic components or cause system failures. Protective measures include surge protection devices, suitable power distribution equipment and uninterruptible power supplies. Depending on the protection concept, several protective stages can be combined. Coordinated overvoltage protection is particularly relevant in data centres, server rooms and other environments containing business-critical IT hardware.