Schneider Electric and Cisco have unveiled a new, comprehensive building and data center energy management solution

The two companies plan to significantly expand their portfolio of energy management solutions as part of expanding their existing collaboration.

With the StruxureWare Data Center Operations software suite, companies can manage their data centers with greater energy efficiency and bridge communication gaps between IT and buildings. With the integration of Cisco UCS ™ Manager software, a complete data center infrastructure management (DCIM) tool is available to users. StruxureWare Data Center Operations features the ability to propose a new server based on power, cooling, and network capacities, as well as available space. Building on this, users will be able to apply critical information about the capacity of physical systems.

The integration of Schneider Electric PowerChute Network Shutdown and Cisco Unified Communications Manager (UCM) software provides IT managers and data center operators with the tools to prepare for any emergency. In the event of a prolonged power outage, the PowerChute application can safely shut down Cisco UCM, helping to avoid data loss and quickly restart unified communications systems when power is restored.

Designed for distributed office environments, Schneider Electric CBIS enables more efficient cabling and thus more optimized deployment of IT networks with less space requirements than traditional solutions, reducing IT infrastructure investment costs by nearly 22% and up to a third for telecommunications areas. Almost 30% of expansions and changes can be saved during operation. Because the simplified design allows for the implementation of a true distributed IT environment, switches can be brought closer to IT devices and the need for cabling in buildings is reduced, saving up to 60% of installation costs.

With lower material and energy consumption and future-proof infrastructure, Schneider Electric's CBIS platform connects Schneider Electric's EcoStruxure Efficient Enterprise ™ architecture to Cisco EnergyWiseTM. One-stop monitoring enables IT managers to manage the energy of thousands of networked devices within a company. The centralized monitoring system sets an example for the intelligent energy use of the future by alerting users in advance to energy saving opportunities. A cable infrastructure is passive in itself, but with Cisco EnergyWise integration, the power consumption of IT devices is managed by the building management system and the Torana application server, enabling highly efficient enterprise operations.

The above products and solutions will be available for Cisco Intelligent Network from June 2012 as part of Schneider Electric’s Efficient Enterprise portfolio.

Source: Press release