New White Paper From 2bm Highlights the Increasing Importance of Data Centre Power Monitoring

NOTTINGHAM, England, Feb. 21, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- 2bm, an innovator in data centre power monitoring, www.2bm.co.uk has launched a new White Paper to aid IT Managers wrestling with the problem of how to  implement a server power monitoring solution with minimal or no disruption to daily operations.

Data centre power monitoring has been much discussed over recent years but without necessarily providing IT Managers with real, practical answers to many of the key questions. The 2bm White Paper, entitled 'Power Monitoring in the Data Centre'  explores the answers to these questions and outlines the benefits of implementing a server power monitoring solution within the data centre to ensure IT managers have the most appropriate data to make informed decisions regarding power usage and environmental monitoring.

Mark King, Director, 2bm, comments "The reduction of excessive power consumption is becoming a major government initiative – with organisations failing to comply with the CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme requirements facing a potentially significant levy. Real-time and accurate data centre power monitoring is therefore essential, but with traditional metering technology requiring downtime, data centre managers have simply been unable to achieve the in-depth insight required, opting instead for temporary or best guess solutions."

King continues, "Most data centre managers simply have no way of accurately ascertaining the energy efficiency of data centre equipment. Most rely on either portable plug-on clamp-meters that can provide just a snap shot of energy consumption at any one time, or the best guess calculation based on the information provided by equipment manufacturers. This is simply not good enough, organisations cannot manage any power hungry environment such as a data centre effectively without accurate insight into consumption at rack/cabinet level."

The 2bm White Paper discusses the latest generation of non-intrusive monitoring tools which can be deployed without requiring any system downtime. Within just three days, the average medium-sized data centre can be set up with server power monitoring and metering technology, providing managers with real-time access to in-depth and accurate energy consumption information. Critically, this technology can be used at rack level, providing unprecedented insight into energy requirements of servers, storage area networks and switches, as well as the attendant supporting equipment, such as lighting and air conditioning, that will enable the controlled reduction of a data centre's Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) rating.

King concludes, "Knowledge is power but, ironically, without server power monitoring the appropriate decision making knowledge won't exist. To ensure IT Managers have the most appropriate data to make informed decisions regarding power usage, environmental monitoring and power monitoring should be carried out alongside each other in the data centre. Data centre power monitoring must become a priority for organisations if they are to gain a tighter control on their energy consumption."

Summary

For a full copy of the 2bm White Paper on Power Monitoring in the Data Centre please visit: www.2bm.co.uk

About 2bm Limited

Nottingham-based 2bm is an innovator in the provision of data centre products and services, offering UK-wide, complete installation and in-house project management from concept through to completion.  2bm's full service offering is enhanced by its dedicated team of installation engineers who ensure projects are delivered on time and on budget, with minimal disruption to day-to-day data centre operations.

2bm prides itself on the delivery of best practice, focusing on the efficient layout and distribution of IT equipment within the data centre, covering current and future business needs, IT technology trends and their implication on future data centre capacity requirements.

2bm has built its continued success on recommending only best-of-breed solutions. These innovative offerings are based upon a clear understanding of its client's requirements, which are either supplied as part of a strong relationship with strategic business partners or from its own growing portfolio of products like the 2bm iMeter – a highly advanced environmental and power monitoring solution. All these products have been selected because they offer real value for money whilst minimising the impact on the environment - through reduced power requirements and lower carbon emissions.

The majority of 2bm's implementations are in the major conurbations - London, Manchester, and Birmingham – however, from its base in Nottingham it is able to support customers across the whole of the UK maintaining 200+ implementations, which are predominantly in the financial services, education and local government sectors.

SOURCE 2bm Limited