2bm Launches Next-Generation Data Centre Power Monitoring Solution

NOTTINGHAM, England, Sept. 3 /PRNewswire/ -- 2bm, an innovator in data centre technology, http://www.2bm.co.uk today announces the launch of the 2bm iMeter – a highly advanced data centre power monitoring solution which has been designed to help businesses monitor and reduce power consumption in the data centre. Uniquely, the 2bm iMeter server power monitoring solution can be implemented without a complete re-fit and whilst allowing normal uninterrupted operation.

The reduction of excessive power consumption is becoming a major government initiative – and the potential significant levy for failure to comply is set to become a major concern for any large enterprise and its subsidiaries. Today, it is organisations with power consumption in excess of 500,000 pounds Sterling per annum that must comply with the Carbon Reduction Commitment (CRC) Energy Efficiency Scheme requirements. But there is little doubt that in the coming years the threshold will inevitably continue to fall, with increasing numbers of UK businesses affected.

In response to this, the 2bm iMeter is the first product to provide an intelligent, reliable and accurate method of data centre power monitoring without requiring any system downtime. This highly innovative 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.

In addition, it is important to note that the 2bm iMeter provides continuous server power monitoring allowing reporting which compares every hour, day, week and month, providing not only clear trends in energy consumption but also the opportunity to set alarms based on predetermined thresholds. Real-time alerts can be raised if consumption exceeds the specified threshold, improving day-to-day management; while the information can also be integrated with existing systems management tools to provide a complete data centre overview.

Mark King, Director of 2bm says, "Not only is the Government set to impose significant levies for those businesses that fail to achieve year-on-year reduction in energy usage, but in this environmentally conscious times, organisations are painfully aware both of the brand damage associated with breaches of energy-led regulations and the importance of attaining a good position in the soon to be published CRC Energy Efficiency Scheme league tables."

King comments, "With traditional metering technology requiring downtime, data centre managers have so far been unable to achieve the in-depth insight into energy consumption required, opting instead for a temporary or best guess solution. However, the 2bm iMeter is a revolutionary data centre power monitoring tool because it can be implemented in a 'live' environment without a complete re-fit, allowing normal uninterrupted operation. Indeed, within just three days, the average medium-sized data centre can be set up with the 2bm iMeter solution, providing managers with real-time access to continuous, in-depth and accurate energy consumption information."

The power of the 2bm iMeter server power monitoring solution lies in its intelligent sensor, intelliAmp, which has been designed to monitor the current draw of racks via 16A and 32A cables. Unlike other power monitoring solutions that require downtime for implementation, the intelliAmp can be installed in 'live' environments as it simply clips around the cable that needs to be monitored. Its unique calibration system ensures the sensor can be positioned correctly to achieve optimum levels of accuracy, ideal for legacy data centres where a re-build is prohibitively expensive or not possible.

King concludes, "It is now imperative for businesses to intelligently monitor power usage throughout the organisation. And it is those highest areas of usage, such as the data centre, that must be the priority if businesses are to gain control of energy usage and to provide the much tighter control over power consumption that is now being demanded by both government and shareholders."

Key Features

• Real-time Monitoring of Current and Voltage
• True-RMS Current Metering for maximum accuracy
• Installation into 'live' environments - no downtime required
• User configurable alarm thresholds
• Web interface
• SNMP for NMS Integration
• On-board logging/graphing
• intelliAmp monitoring of 16A and 32A cables

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.

2bm's annual revenues grew to over 8 million pounds in 2009 and have continued to grow by a further 20% in the first six months of 2010.

SOURCE 2bm Limited