Schneider Electric has announced at EDGE Congress that APC NetShelter® SX with Shock Packaging has achieved Cisco Unified Computing System (UCS) Pre-rack and Ship Certification, expanding certification from one standard size to covering the entire product line.

The NetShelter SX product line includes 13 preconfigured SKUs with Shock Packaging and thousands of customization options with configure and engineer-to-order factory processes such as the Micro Data Center Xpress SX 24U and 42U pre-integrated with all of the APC physical infrastructure. All of these products are now certified to ship as a pre-integrated package with Cisco UCS servers globally.

“This certification is crucial for our customers because it provides the assurance that our products are certified for shipments with potentially millions of dollars of equipment inside,” said Dave Johnson, EVP, IT Division, Schneider Electric. “Schneider Electric is dedicated to our alliance with Cisco to ensure that we jointly provide our customers with the highest quality converged solutions that are the building blocks of the edge.”

Cisco UCS is a leader in converged infrastructure and is the foundation for NetApp FlexPod, Dell|EMC VBLOCK, IBM VersaStack, Pure Storage FlashStack, and Microsoft Azure Stack along with Cisco’s Hyperconverged solution HyperFlex. With the certification, all of these converged infrastructures can ship in APC NetShelter SX racks with Shock Packaging.

Multiple Benefits for IT Channel Partners and Systems Integrators

For IT channel partners, a combined Micro Data Center solution from APC saves both valuable integration floor space and time by not having to unbox, install, and configure during the integration process.

“Tech Data is excited to see this expanded certification on the APC NetShelter SX products because we know from experience that the testing and packaging meet the highest quality standards,” said Maghen Hannigan, director of Converged and Data Center Solutions, Tech Data. “This now gives us the ability to create a true end-to-end solution that saves our channel partners deployment time and money, while heightening the value we provide around converged data center solutions.”

APC Products Surpass International Safe Transit Association 3E Tests

APC’s NetShelter SX with Shock Packaging underwent stringent testing procedures beyond the standard International Safe Transit Association 3E tests. To earn the Cisco certification, Schneider Electric invested heavily in testing and analysis to measure the forces placed on the equipment and the NetShelter’s ability to dampen them, ensuring reliable shipment.

“APC by Schneider was the perfect company to partner with in the Micro Data Center solutions space,” said Dan Hanson, Senior Director, UCS Product Management, Cisco. “Through our Alliance, we are strengthening our commitment to delivering world-class Edge and IOT solutions that offer tremendous flexibility, resiliency, and deploy faster than ever.”

A Wide Range of Options for a Wide Range of Customer Needs

The NetShelter SX family of products, the world's most versatile server rack enclosure with over 1 million units sold, comes in a wide variety of heights, widths, and depths for a wide range of customer needs. For example, for off-site colocation deployments, IT managers may want to maximize their footprint with taller racks, at edge locations they may require a rack that can fit in a closet or underneath a desk, while on premise IT managers may prefer wider cabinets for easier access and maintenance. The certification also covers customization of NetShelter SX racks with Shock Packaging so customers and partners can venture outside the catalog, such as integrating their necessary APC accessories or customizing racks in signature colors, while maintaining peace of mind knowing the whole family of products is certified.

APC now offers more options for pre-integrating a Cisco UCS in APC rack infrastructure and shipping it, providing an end-to-end solution for partners and a plug and play experience for end users, without voiding the UCS warranty. Reusable Shock Packaging meets the industry shipping standard ISTA 3E, protecting cabinets equipped with up to 2,000 pounds of IT equipment for reliable load, transport, unload, and deployment.

For the ability to manage these many environments, Cisco and Schneider Electric provide the EcoStruxure™ IT platform with Cisco UCS manager integration, which can simplify data management and provide visibility of the power infrastructure across the two platforms through a single pane of glass.