Demands on data centers are increasing, while the space and budgets for these facilities stagnates. As data center staff are forced to be more efficient, they turn to metered power distribution units (PDUs). A metered PDU offers the ability to conserve resources – money, personnel hours and space – at a granular level, freeing up staff to concentrate on more strategic tasks.

1.  Reduce cooling costs.
The cost for regulating a data center’s temperature can eat up an operating budget. Modern hot-air containment solutions help to reduce costs, but the lower operating temperatures for legacy rackmount PDUs mean they can only help so much. Newer metered rack PDUs have a higher operating temperature – up to 140°F/60°C – meaning a big cut to the cooling cost of your facility.

2.  Maximize space
Instead of requiring a dedicated infrastructure rack, a metered rack PDU is designed to utilize space that would otherwise go unused: vertically mounted inside or on the side of a server rack or enclosure. Not all vertically mounted metered PDUs are created equal, though. To make the best use of space, a rackmount PDU should have low-profile circuit breakers and a width optimized for side mounting to avoid interfering with access to hot-swap fans and power supplies.

3.  Prevent accidental disconnects
Downtime caused by a plug getting bumped out of place is an occurrence that happens too often in data centers. Most rack PDUs rely on external clops or cable trays to secure plugs. While those methods of prevention are effective, they require additional time from staff and represent an added cost. Next-generation metered rack PDUs offer built-in IEC outlet grips, which provide the same prevention without the need for proprietary power cords or bulky additions. 

The right metered PDU can provide all these resource-saving benefits. With the money, personnel power and space now available, your data center will be better able to meet changing computing demands.

Power distribution is facilitated through different pieces of equipment that take the power
conditioned by your uninterruptible power supply (UPS) and send it to your IT equipment.
Power distribution solutions can manage and even control energy consumption in smaller
environments as well as large data center applications.  Distributing power efficiently results
in reduced operating costs and increased reliability.

Rack power distribution units, also known as rack PDUs, are a key component to any IT environment.  They do exactly as the name suggests and distribute power to network equipment within racks.  A common misconception is that they’re just power strips, and at first glance, they even look like it, but modern rack PDUs provide benefits a simple power strip cannot.  Some of the valuable features include network connectivity, environmental monitoring and remote access, but we’ll get more into that later. This guide should help you get familiar with power distribution ,gain interesting insights and learn some key considerations for future IT investments.

To determine the level of protection you require from a UPS consider the following criteria:

• How critical is the application you need to protect?
• Do you need complete or partial protection?
• What size UPS do you require? VA, watts, sizing calculations?
• Battery run time required in minutes? In hours?
• What software and network considerations do you have? Platforms, SNMP, remote monitoring etc.?

The Powerware series of Single-phase UPSs protect against the most common power problems. Series 3 and 5 keep your system from failing due to outages and surges, and the Powerware Series 9 offers comprehensive protection against all nine causes, minimalizing opportunities for component stress, burned circuit boards, data crashes and program failures. Series 9 UPSs are recommended for mission-critical applications like high-end servers, hospitals and voice over IP applications.

Birds are chirping, flowers are blooming and spring is in the air.  Yard sales will soon become Saturday morning’s most prolific event for homeowners set on cleaning out their clutter. Are you taking the same steps to clean up your IT environment?  At this point, you may have just finished setting up some of the precious new IT equipment that you weren't able to squeeze into the 2016 budget or you’re beginning to finalize your spend for this year.  Regardless of your situation, here are a few tips to be more successful in your IT spring cleaning adventure and prepare for a more productive 2017.

1. Examine your infrastructure: Take a closer look at your needs. A big part of spending your 2017 budget effectively is understanding what needs to be upgraded or added most urgently.  In order to do so properly, you’ll need to assess your environment.  Take a detailed inventory including not only servers, switch and storage components; but also the power infrastructure, cabling, and environmental aspects of your IT infrastructure.
   
   
2. Define fault points: Reducing points of failure within your IT infrastructure is critical to maintaining business continuity. As you’re preparing to deploy new equipment or evaluating the needs for your 2017 spend, take a moment to recognize potential points of failure:
   
   
   1. Has your UPS been alarm gone off over the past few months, begging and pleading for a new battery? It may be time for battery or even unit replacement. 
      
   2. Have you repeatedly received over temperature alarms within your rack enclosures? Take this time to more properly balance your equipment within the rack in hopes of alleviating these problems.
      
   3. Have you been paying close attention to power consumption? Take a close look at, not only your UPSs but your monitoring software and rack power distribution units (PDUs). Take advantage of the capabilities your technology offers. For instance, turn off unused outlets on your PDUs and better control your power utilization if possible.
      
   4. Have you checked all plugs and connection points? Take a moment to make sure all plugs and connections secure, as well as electrically sound from a safety standpoint.
      
      
3. Tidy up while you’re at it: As you're adding, removing and relocating equipment within the rack, address any needs you have around cable management. Tighten and replace cabling where applicable, utilize free space behind the cooling components of your server, switch components to better improve airflow, and use cable ties to secure network and power cabling infrastructure to the sides of your enclosure.

IT maintenance is a must, whether it’s your network closet itself or the equipment that resides in it, so try to schedule a reoccurring time to do some technology housekeeping. It will not only help you on a daily basis, but it will look like you truly value your company’s investment. Who doesn’t like getting kudos from the boss? I hope these 3 tips are helpful reminders that you can put to use. What are some of your most efficient cleaning tips?