Schneider Electric has expanded its data center solutions portfolio with the introduction of enhanced, digitized versions of its Critical Facility Operations offers for cloud & service providers and large data centers operators. These new offers make Schneider Electric a leader in digitized data center operations as well as a single source for all Critical Facility Operation services from the IT space to the supporting infrastructure in the facility.
Software-driven process with 24x7 facility management
The new, digitized Critical Facility Operations approach couples a software-driven process with 24x7 on-site facility operations and remote support. Benefits for customers include:
- Increased operational efficiency: implementation in real-world customer environments have resulted in operational efficiency improvements of up to 15 percent.
- Lower risk and maximum uptime: qualified personnel operate and maintain the data center using powerful digital tools to ensure process standardization and minimize risk of human error.
- Efficient IT planning: ‘hands-on’ tactical workflows are supported by centralized expertise for full lifecycle management of IT assets.
Digitized operations reduce risks
“At Schneider Electric, we believe that digitization of data center operations will result in reduced risk of human error, improved efficiency, cost savings, and increased transparency in the data centers we operate around the globe for our customers,” said Anthony DeSpirito, Vice President/General Manager of Data Center Operations, Schneider Electric. “As a single vendor for all critical operations in the data center gray and white space, Schneider Electric removes the silos frequently seen between facilities and IT staff, eliminating accountability issues and reducing risk.”
China Unicom is one of the world’s largest telecommunication companies, providing cloud services in response to massive demand. China Unicom elected to outsource on-site critical power operation services for two of its sites to Schneider Electric. Today, more than 100 Schneider experts operate two of China Unicom’s hyperscale data centers.
“Schneider Electric’s mature and customized Critical Facility Operations solution enabled us to improve greatly in terms of reliable operation, predictive maintenance, as well as risk control, achieving 100% uptime of the facilities,” said Kang Nan, general manager of operations and services department, China Unicom. “We’ve also effectively reduced energy consumption, saving us up to 30 percent of cost.”
Customized offer to meet specific site and business requirements
Critical Facility Operations for data centers is a customized offer with pricing based on size of facility, number of assets, and optional services selected. The offer includes:
- 24x7 infrastructure operations and maintenance; emergency preparedness and response
- Vendor management and oversight
- Daily walk-through and monitoring, change management, and continuous systems optimization
- Data center infrastructure engineering for strategic IT hardware capacity planning, power and cooling optimization, and monitoring day to day operations.
- Rack and stack for standards-driven IT asset lifecycle management services, including installation, moves, adds, changes, and asset decommissioning.
- Smart hands for on-site technical support, fault identification and resolution, and preventative maintenance.
Critical Facility Operations is available globally. The enhanced digitized solution is available today in North America and coming soon to the United Kingdom, Ireland, and China, with other regions to follow.
