Server Technology’s (News - Alert) Sentry Power Manager is a one-stop shop for combating data center challenges such as improved uptime, increased power costs, lower power availability and higher density cabinets, among other things.
SPM, a 1U appliance and software package capable of monitoring and managing multiple Sentry CDU devices in IP-based enterprise networks, brings the entire network of smart and switched CDUs to a central interface, according to Server Technology officials. Server Technology is a global leader in power distribution products and data center power monitoring software.
“If you are like most data center managers, you are faced with a variety of challenges within the computer room whether it be understanding where and how power is being used within your computer room, power redundancy paths, cabinet level capacity, planning and management and even your own company’s green initiatives,” explained Marc Eisenberg, enterprise systems manager for Server Technology, in a recent video.
To overcome these challenges, one can rely on SPM – a solution that helps managers address data center power related challenges by measuring, monitoring and trending power at the server cabinet level.
This past December, word continued to spread about SPM as Processor (News - Alert), a site that covers data center power news, highlighted the benefits of SPM.
As discussed in the article, it is imperative to manage the power infrastructure feeding company servers and obtain good intelligence from power distribution units (PDUs).
SPM brings that PDU data together to give you the big picture, according to the article.
“Sentry Power Manager is currently being used in networks at some of the world’s largest companies,” Brandon Siri, senior marketing representative for Server Technology, told TMCnet in a recent interview. “With well over 225 installations of SPM in companies all over the world, SPM in conjunction with Sever Technology CDUs is allowing those businesses to gather the critical data they need to make smarter business decisions regarding their data centers.”
SPM is the most “affordable and accurate system available that can measure, monitor and trend your power usage,” according to Server Technology. Calvin Nicholson, Server Technology’s senior director of software and strategic alliances, said in the article that input from a PDU may yield power readings such as capacity, wattage per system unit area, current load, and/or energy consumption; environmental factors such as temperature and humidity; alarms when operation exceeds parameters in one way or another; and auditing/security details such as time-stamped user actions and logins.
Data is collected and automatically entered into a database so that companies can have a comprehensive resource for whatever type of analysis is required, Nicholson said.
According to Nicholson, the SPM accomplishes three major things: First, getting a handle on your server room’s energy efficiency; second, monitoring your power distribution setup’s large number of critical data points; and third, the potential to act as middleware for third-party management systems through Server Technology’s API.
When asked how the data center power company feels about the fact that its SPM is being noticed, Siri told TMCnet the company is “really excited” about how much attention the product is garnering from the press.
“The value that it brings to the data center greatly outweighs its price,” Siri said of the product. “It’s a low cost application that makes global power management more simpler than ever before.”
“The single-pane-of-glass-view on power and environmental information, used on its own or in conjunction with a Building Manager System (BMS) or other data center management device, makes deploying, updating, and monitoring large volumes of CDUs a simple part of the entire operation,” he added. “SPM gives you quick, accurate, and reliable information that can be used by data center managers to make critical decisions regarding his or her facility.”
Carrie Schmelkin is a Web Editor for TMCnet. Previously, she worked as Assistant Editor at the New Canaan Advertiser, a 102-year-old weekly newspaper, covering news and enhancing the publication's social media initiatives. Carrie holds a bachelor's degree in journalism and a bachelor's degree in English from the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University. To read more of her articles, please visit her columnist page.Edited by Janice McDuffee