Another piece of hardware that is absolutely critical is the Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS). The UPS protects the computer equipment (computer, monitor, or whatever else is plugged in to it) from power problems like power failure, power surge (temporary power spike) or power sag (temporary reduction in power). If any of these events occur, the battery in the UPS provides temporary power to the computer equipment that is plugged into it until data can be saved and the system shut down. Normally, you would only think of using a UPS in areas where power problems occur frequently or if the computer system is mission critical. Well guess what? Whether or not you have periodic power problems in your area, your computer system is mission critical to your trading. All it takes is one power problem from a storm or other unforeseen event to cost you potentially hundreds or thousand of dollars. Therefore, every trading computer should be attached to a UPS. It is basically another way to limit your risk, similar to buying insurance on the availability of power to your computer.
So what type of UPS should you buy. I would suggest that you buy one that is large enough to power your computer, monitor and modem for at least 10 minutes. This will allow you to either exit all your trades or at the very least tighten your stops.