APC announces trade-off tools

Web-based applications that simplify the data centre decision making process

APC by Schneider Electric, a global leader in integrated critical power and cooling services, has announced the debut of APC TradeOff Tools, new Web-based applications with easy-to-use interfaces designed for use in the early stages of data centre concept and design development. 

By enabling datacentre professionals to experiment with various scenarios regarding virtualisation, efficiency, power sizing, capital costs, and other key design issues, APC TradeOff Tools break down major datacentre planning decisions into a series of smaller, more manageable decisions.  Use of these tools helps validate, through modelling, the overall design of a data centre.

Customers need to make many key decisions during any data centre project, and they do not always have the necessary information to guide them, said Carl Cottuli, vice president of APCs Data Center Science Center.  Many of their concerns are not addressed by configuration tools because they occur early in the concept selection process.  With the introduction of APCs TradeOff Tools, when a roadblock arises, the data centre decision maker can easily find a tool to deal with their specific issue, get a quick answer, and continue on in the concept selection process.

The seven tools are currently available on the http://tools.apc.com  section of the APC Web site. 

They include:

Carbon Calculator

Illustrates how changes to a datacentres location, efficiency, and power load can impact carbon dioxide emissions and the electric bill.  This provides management with a general indication of how green their datacentre is today and how green it could be.

Energy Efficiency Calculator

Profiles a data centre and calculates the resulting efficiency and electrical cost based on datacentre characteristics.  Users can then understand the impact each key datacentre decision has on the data centres efficiency. 

Capital Cost Calculator

Identifies key datacentre physical infrastructure parameters and calculates capital costs based on those parameters.  This allows datacentre users to judge how changes to datacentre location, IT load, and cooling and power infrastructure can impact overall capital costs. 

Virtualisation Energy Cost Calculator

Comprehends IT and physical infrastructure characteristics and calculates energy savings resulting from the virtualisation of servers.  This allows the user to test the impact of virtualisation and various physical infrastructure improvements on their data centre floor space and on their energy consumption.

Power Sizing Calculator

Defines basic characteristics of the IT load and calculates how much utility input power would be required to support such a load.  This provides users with a general idea of how much power in kilowatts they will need to run their data centre. 

InRow Containment Selector

Generates a prototype rack and row cooling configuration based on the users preferences and the physical constraints of the room.  This provides the user with their optimal InRow cooling containment configuration. 

AC vs. DC Calculator

Compares four different AC and DC power distribution architectures and calculates their respective efficiencies.  This allows the user to make an educated decision on the optimal architecture for their datacentre.  

APCs Data Center Science Center (DCSC) designed the APC TradeOff Tools.  The DCSC team of engineers and analysts researches datacentre issues and helps develop design and learning tools that assist datacentre professionals in managing their datacentres. 

About APC by Schneider Electric

            APC by Schneider Electric, a global leader in critical power and cooling services, provides industry leading product, software and systems for home, office, datacentre and factory floor applications.  Backed by the strength, experience, and wide network of Schneider Electrics Critical Power & Cooling Services, APC delivers well planned, flawlessly installed and maintained solutions throughout their lifecycle.  Through its unparalleled commitment to innovation, APC delivers pioneering, energy efficient solutions for critical technology and industrial applications. 

In 2007, Schneider Electric acquired APC and combined it with MGE UPS Systems to form Schneider Electrics Critical Power & Cooling Services Business Unit, which recorded 2007 revenue of $3.5 billion (2.4 billion) and employed 12,000 people worldwide.  APC solutions include uninterruptible power supplies (UPS), precision cooling units, racks, physical security and design and management software, including APC's InfraStruXure architecture, the industrys most comprehensive integrated power, cooling, and management solution.  Schneider Electric, with 120,000 employees and operations in 102 countries, had 2007 annual sales of $25 billion (17.3 billion).