Although not a political entity, Chloride Group helps to maintain the balance of power. The company makes power protection products, such as uninterruptible power systems (UPS), that provide power protection to critical systems in the financial services, IT, and telecommunications industries. Chloride's patented LIFE.net system allows the company's service centers to monitor clients' power usage remotely and to detect any abnormalities that arise. Customers have included BP, Barclays, IKEA, IBM, Microsoft, Morgan Stanley, and Total. In mid-2010 the company was acquired by Emerson Electric for about �997 million ($1.5 billion).