APC launches 3-in-1 data center design tools

Integrating data center design, operations, and management in one software platform, APC’s (www.apc.com) Capacity Manager and Change Manager tools are targeting data center managers looking to efficiently align the redundancy and equipment availability needs of physical infrastructure.

Capacity Manager knits the capabilities of the infrastructure with changing data center requirements, tracking in real time the optimal installation location for new or existing equipment based on electrical load and thermal profile. Change Manager is designed for rapid and accurate physical infrastructure changes -including installing, moving, and decommissioning IT equipment-without unexpected issues arising.

“Using Capacity Manager and Change Manager, facility and IT professionals now can manage frequent physical equipment changes in the data center, as well as determine the effect planned changes and growth will have using ‘what if’-type scenarios,” explains John DiPippo, senior vice president of management systems and software.

Working in tandem with the company’s InfraStruXure and InRow cooling solutions, Capacity Manager analyzes measured average and peak power consumption to recommend an optimum location. “Features such as the graphical power gauge and capacity plan enable informed decision-making to reduce unplanned downtime often caused by overloading the physical infrastructure,” says DiPippo.

APC’s Capacity Manager knits the capabilities of a customer’s data center infrastructure with changing requirements, identifying the optimal installation location for new or existing equipment based on electrical load and thermal profile.

Combining a physical asset management tool to track the location of equipment with a work-order process tool designed to ensure timely deployment of new equipment changes, Change Manager “enables us to streamline our process for changes in our data centers, and to accurately track status for tasks, such as adding new equipment, moving existing equipment, and decommissioning retired equipment,” says customer Norm Fjeldheim, senior vice president and chief information officer for wireless solutions developer QUALCOMM Inc. (www.qualcomm.com).

APC also recently unveiled its web-based InfraStruXure Reference Design Gallery, intended to quickly guide users toward a pre-engineered design that is closest to their specific objectives.

A downloadable executive summary includes a system overview, specifications, visuals, system schematics, and a detailed quote report with estimated resale pricing. The tool also provides answers to commonly asked design questions.

Serving as a starting point for data center design, the Reference Design is intended to minimize plan revisions. “This design tool not only can save an incredible amount of time in the overall design process of a data center, but also greatly simplifies and clarifies the criteria and known business needs of our customers to help make key decisions related to data center planning,” says Neil Rasmussen, APC senior vice president and chief technology officer.

---

Ring around the campus

More than $217,000 worth of fiber-optic cable donated by OFS (www. ofsoptics.com) will help the University of West Georgia complete a fiber-optic ring around the campus, a project considered vital for continued network reliability.

OFS’ Optical Cable and Connectivity Products division is located in Carrollton, GA, home of the university.

“UWG has projected that its need for network capacity will grow exponentially in the coming years,” says Vedat Gunay, information technology services associate director at the University of West Georgia. “The new cable from OFS will enable the connection of new building projects, such as the health and wellness building, and an expansion of the north campus, providing high-speed data networking for voice, data and video.”