APC by Schneider Electric offers customisable data centre assessment services

Data centre managers increasingly need to benchmark the performance of their facilities against industry standards such as the Green Grid Data Centre Maturity Model, in their quest to optimise performance while reducing the spiralling cost of energy.

Paolo Miglietta, vice president: Southern Africa at APC by Schneider Electric, says it is no easy task and, hence, the company has extended its line of energy management services for data centres with a solution that allows managers to benchmark the performance of their facilities.

The EnergySTEP Data Centre Assessment is part of a growing line of Schneider Electric energy management services for data centres.

“It provides a detailed, customisable assessment of the power, cooling, physical infrastructure and operational efficiencies of the data centre, focusing on improvements that will help data centre managers reduce the increasing cost of energy, while at the same time ensuring the availability of data centre services is maximised.”

Miglietta adds that by providing data centre managers with an assessment of energy usage and efficiency they are empowered to make informed decisions on the optimisation of their infrastructure.

“The recommendations included with EnergySTEP Data Centre Assessment will lead to optimised energy usage and reduced operating costs, while also enabling the data centre manager to prioritise data centre improvements and better manage capital expenses.”

EnergySTEP allows data centre professionals to customise an assessment service that will help them meet energy usage goals, business needs and financial targets.

The extensive data collection and analysis required is performed by a Schneider Electric Energy Management Services (EMS) specialist with expertise in both data centre operations and energy management.

“Comprehensive reports generated from the assessment provide vendor neutral recommendations including detailed findings illustrated with graphics and performance benchmarks,” says Miglietta.

The specific recommendations for improving efficiency and maximising availability include estimated cost savings and a return on investment (ROI) analysis. The findings and recommendations can also be presented in accordance with the Green Grid Data Centre Maturity Model Equalizer.

Miglietta says this model benchmarks performance in 46 aspects of the date centre and enables the steps required to achieve greater energy efficiency and sustainability to be clearly mapped out.

“The complete line of assessment services, including both the EnergySTEP Data Centre Assessment and the initial EnergySTEP1 entry level assessment, facilitate the data centre performance benchmarking, a major step towards effective energy management.”

APC by Schneider Electric also provides a larger portfolio of services to support customers throughout the Data Centre Services Lifecycle, assisting in planning, design, building operations, maintenance and optimisation of the facilities.

Additional services include energy management software, remote monitoring and the design and build of energy efficient data centres.  Schneider Electric’s goal is to provide the expertise, tools and services required to develop a comprehensive energy management strategy for the data centre.

“Beyond the data centre, the EnergySTEP- Energy Sustainability Tiered Efficiency Programme provides services and expertise to help companies save energy in their offices, plants, manufacturing facilities or industrial environments. It is a scalable programme that identifies the steps required for sustained energy efficiency, providing clear solutions with measurable savings while freeing up capital that otherwise would be used on excess energy expenditures,” concludes Miglietta.