Taking data centre efficiencies to the next level.
For many years, as a country with the cheapest electricity in the world, South African businesses did not place the same focus on energy consumption and efficiency as companies situated in other countries. Now, we are finding that local CIOs have to work more closely with facilities managers to understand consumption and close the gap between facilities and business. So says Eben Owen, E&S manager at APC by Schneider Electric, who believes that these two areas, seen as very much separate in the past, are now bleeding together.
“One area under scrutiny for improved energy efficiency is the data centre, which historically fell within the responsibility of the facilities manager,” he explains. “Increasing power densities and rapid changes in IT technology, coupled with growing energy costs and uncertain long-term plans for capacity or density have flagged the data centre as an area of concern from a consumption perspective.
“Add to this the requirement by cloud computing for applications to be available at all times and it becomes clear that now is the time to take data centre efficiencies to the next level.”
Through the use of a solution like Schneider Electric’s StruxureWare for Data Centres, companies can address all aspects of the data centre physical infrastructure needed to maximise availability and efficiency. “This offering empowers data centre managers by giving them access to all the data and tools they need to operate data centres that are more reliable, efficient, productive, safe and green,” says Owen.
“Data centre environments traditionally rely on management tools that require the knowledge and experience of numerous IT and facility professionals leveraging specialised management dashboards to obtain the information they need. StruxureWare for Data Centres provides a toolset from which the data centre manager can access and manage across the domains of the IT room, building electrical power and power quality, facility and data centre cooling and physical security. This management software suite delivers comprehensive, accurate real-time data enabling them to take action based on the complete picture of the data centre.
“By using this type of approach, companies can gain better control over current inventories and dependencies, implement ‘smart monitoring’ for all critical devices and virtualise wherever possible. This will better prepare them to embrace the future of the data centre, where workloads are based on power and cooling requirements, excess server capacity is powered off when not needed and systems are being used as virtual desktops during the day and for batch processing during the night.”
For more information contact Roz Shuping, APC by Schneider Electric, +27 (0)11 254 6400, [email protected], www.apc.com
How smart signalling can transform Africa’s manufacturing future Schneider Electric South Africa
Industrial Wireless
Imagine a factory floor where humans and machines communicate in real time with issues flagged instantly, workflows adjusted seamlessly and downtime reduced to near zero. This is the reality unfolding across Africa as manufacturers embrace the next generation of intelligent signalling technologies.
Read more...Unpacking the technoeconomic case for cleaner power in wastewater plants Schneider Electric South Africa
Electrical Power & Protection
Behind every reliable wastewater plant is an electrical system exposed to the effects of harmonics, voltage distortion and overloaded networks caused by fleets of variable speed drives on pumps and aerators.Together, they steadily drive up maintenance demands and elevate the risk of failure.
Read more...Rethinking power for Africa’s data centres Schneider Electric South Africa
Electrical Power & Protection
Africa’s digital economy is scaling faster than its power systems. If it wants resilient, competitive and sustainable data centres, the starting point must be a grid-to-chip architecture rather than a genset-first mentality.
Read more...When SCADA meets the cloud Omniflex Remote Monitoring Specialists
SCADA/HMI
Engineers are faced with the challenge of unifying legacy SCADA systems with modern, IoT-based data platforms. The trouble is, when hardware from multiple manufacturers and generations are all used in the same system, compatibility becomes an issue
Read more...Unifying building information into a sea of insight Schneider Electric South Africa
Electrical Power & Protection
Facility managers realise that in order to gain the most from building automation, they can longer deploy and operate technologies in isolation. Modern, integrated building management solutions address this challenge by bringing data from multiple sources and dispersed locations like HVAC, lighting, access control, lifts, generators, field devices, energy and
Read more...Why digital LV switchboards matter Schneider Electric South Africa
Electrical Power & Protection
Today’s buildings account for up to 40% of global energy consumption and CO2 emissions. However, buildings are also expected to deliver higher availability and stronger safety performance while also being sustainable. Digital swirchboards make a difference in the way buildings are developed, upgraded and managed.
Read more...The new energy landscape for buildings will be enabled by e-mobility Schneider Electric South Africa
Electrical Power & Protection
The adoption of the electric vehicle continues to proliferate, and buildings are becoming a vital part of the e-mobility movement, which requires a whole new approach to energy management.
While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained herein, the publisher and its agents cannot be held responsible for any errors contained, or any loss incurred as a result. Articles published do not necessarily reflect the views of the publishers. The editor reserves the right to alter or cut copy. Articles submitted are deemed to have been cleared for publication. Advertisements and company contact details are published as provided by the advertiser. Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd cannot be held responsible for the accuracy or veracity of supplied material.
printer friendly version