Rack PDU Blog

This is your data center speaking. You think you know me pretty well, right? After all, you spend almost all of your time around me. Take a harder look, however, and you’ll see that there are some important things about me that you aren’t aware of!

By now, you are familiar with the Internet of Things, or IoT. In fact, according recent statistics, you’re also likely involved in a deployment that has brought some of the challenges associated with the bulk data collection and storage issues presented by this technology. You've probably run into three phase PDU requirements or the need for a network controlled power strip.

Sounds impossible, doesn’t it? If one were to take the second half of the title of this blog at face value, it would be. A thing that escapes prediction is by definition unpredictable, and it would be a fool’s errand to spend time finding a thing that is impossible to find.

As we wind down another year and look ahead to 2018, Server Technology would like to take a moment to review the many reasons we have to be thankful for the year that was 2017. And what a year it was!

Since much of the buzz this week will be about the much-anticipated release of Star Wars ‘The Last Jedi’ on Friday (or Thursday if you happen to live in the UK), we thought we would take a moment to share some of our favorite old lines. And now, from a galaxy far, far away… (cue fanfare) “The force is strong in this one.” Bad guy or not, Darth Vader hit the nail on the head here. While we had to wait until much later to find out why he knew what he knew, we do know now that sometimes you just have a feeling about things. The Server Tech team had that same good feeling when we started talking about ZTP, our zero-touch provisioning approach for our PDU line. (We even have a pretty nifty whitepaper...) A way to provision all your rack mounted power strips at once, hands-free, and outside of the data center? We still have to remind people this is no Jedi mind trick.

One tool that every data center administrator can be thankful for this year is intelligent power distribution units (PDUs). Recent advancements in the data center PDU market have drastically improved the way that power is managed at the rack level. Over the last few years, intelligent PDUs have gone from a disruptive new technology to a staple tool — and something that every data center should be using to streamline efficiencies. So in the spirit of Turkey Day, here are five reasons to be thankful for intelligent PDUs.

It’s official: We are now in one of the busiest times of the year for shopping. All across the world, consumers are scouring the Internet looking for deals on gifts. This year, holiday shoppers are expected to spend at least $680 billion which is an increase from the $655 billion that was spent in 2016. This is great news for your business, especially when coupled with the long-term economic predictions for 2018. According to Goldman Sachs, the economy is expected to boom in 2018. So consumers will have even more money to spend on products and services.

Electricity is the single most important resource in a data center, as it’s needed for powering every system — from the servers on the floor to the lights overhead. Often the differences between a single phase PDU and a three phase PDU are not as complicated as they may seem, and even more often a 3 phase PDU is the right fit. At the same time, electricity is incredibly expensive, dangerous, and easy to mismanage — especially when considering the sheer volume of power that is typically used. Some facilities, after all, use enough electricity to power hundreds of thousands of homes. Even though energy efficiency is now top of mind for data center administrators, there’s no getting around the fact that data centers consume a great deal of power. As such, it’s vital to have the correct underlying power distribution system in place before moving in and setting up any equipment.

Now, the data center power monitoring process can be fully-automated with the help of intelligent, IP connected power distribution units (PDUs). By providing real-time power monitoring at the rack level, data center administrators can gain instant access to power usage metrics and then use the information to make improvements that can boost uptime and reduce operating costs.

According to the latest Farmer’s Almanac, much of the U.S. is in store for a cold, wet winter that will stretch well into March. At least five major storms expected to hit the eastern seaboard. In just a few short weeks — when the snow starts falling — we will learn which businesses are prepared for winter, and which are not. Businesses that take the time to plan ahead and invest in disaster recovery and business continuity will have a major competitive advantage. One thing you will want to pay attention to as you winterize your data center is the operability of your uninterruptable power supply (UPS) system. According to a recent study, UPS system failure is now the leading cause of data center downtime. In fact, UPS system failure now accounts for one-quarter of all data center outages.