When GoGrid’s cloud computing technology began taking off in 2009, the company quickly realized it had a problem on its hands – it needed to have a better understanding of its rack level power and power management. Its quest quickly led the cloud infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) pioneer to Server Technology, a provider of data center power distribution solutions.
“We were having scalability issues and were looking for a different management software layer,” Bobby Brown, vice president of Ops and Support at GoGrid, told TMCnet. “We needed a better handle on our rack level power and power management. We had some older technology that we’d been using. When we looked at what else was out there that could take us to the next level, we quickly found that Server Technology (News - Alert) had the power and data center expertise we needed. Their folks were really great to work with and made us feel comfortable combining their technology with our cloud computing solutions,” said Brown.
GoGrid, a company founded in 2001 with three data centers in San Francisco, Virginia, and Amsterdam (The Netherlands), deployed Server Tech CW8s – 120v, 30 outlet units and Server Tech’s Sentry Power Manager (SPM) monitoring system. GoGrid uses SPM to measure, monitor and trend power usage in its three data centers. GoGrid relies on the combination of SPM and Server Tech’s PDUs for critical power reports: power draw information, how power is used, alerts, alarms, environmental information and monitoring.
“The new units saved us money (2 units per cabinet vs. 8 previously), provided more space and were a much better solution,” said Brown. “We can now re-use the freed-up space (made possible by using fewer, more-intelligent PDUs) for servers – now all are 0U. We used to need several extra power strips for redundancy. Now we can be more efficient with only two PDUs per rack. It speaks to the quality and reliability of Server Tech products,” he added.
Server Technology was instrumental in helping GoGrid establish its newest data center in Amsterdam, which went live in January 2012. The company helped GoGrid deploy a three-phase 400v solution, a custom PDU from Server Technology that supported the company’s specific international power requirements. Moreover, the data center power distribution company was able to help GoGrid get to market in The Netherlands quickly.
One of the main benefits of Server Technology solutions is that they tie in well with GoGrid’s DCIM software, according to Brown. In addition, the Server Technology solutions guarantee reliability and also help GoGrid better track power draw, understand how power is used, and supply alerts and environmental monitoring.
“Server Technology has been really helpful, good to work with, and always willing to provide training and help us think outside the box to come up with solutions,” Brown said. “In the end, it’s all about that extra touch of customer service they provide.”
To find out more about GoGrid, visit the company at ITEXPO East 2012. To be held Jan. 31- Feb. 3 at the Miami Beach Convention Center in Miami, Fla. ITEXPO (News - Alert) is the world’s premier IP communications event. Visit GoGrid in booth No.1110. For more information on ITEXPO registration click here.
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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 Tammy Wolf