Schneider Electric, a global specialist in energy management, announced the launching of EnergySTEP@Work™, a new solution that brings IT devices and plug load energy use online to make it visible and controllable with Schneider Electric’s StruxureWare™ software applications.
Incorporating Cisco® EnergyWise technology, EnergySTEP@Work can reduce energy wasted by deployed PCs, printers, IP phones, task lighting, wireless access points and more. When EnergySTEP@Work is combined with Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure™ architecture nearly all of a building’s energy can be managed including, distributed devices and plug loads, as well as lighting, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems via the Cisco network.
“Today’s workplace is changing and more employees are bringing in their own devices to the office to connect to the network. Schneider Electric’s EnergySTEP@Work offers customers the ability to monitor and control those smaller plug loads that, when added together, can account for upwards of 40 percent of a building’s energy consumption,” said Barry Coflan, Senior Vice President, Schneider Electric, Buildings Business Offer Management. “These smaller plug loads often go unnoticed, so by capitalizing on the technology provided by Cisco’s EnergyWise technology and the capabilities of our StruxureWare software, we can make these devices visible, and provide a crucial link between the building, the office and the IT environment. This solution gives IT managers, facility managers and C-level personnel key business insights to help them solve today’s energy-related challenges.”
“The need to manage energy consumed by IT assets is higher than ever before. Schneider Electric’s EnergySTEP@Work enterprise wide energy management solution includes IT plug loads using Cisco EnergyWise that empowers customers to leverage their Cisco network infrastructure to monitor, analyze and control energy costs.” said Sachin Gupta, Senior Director, Product Management, Unified Access Group at Cisco Systems, “Cisco is working with companies like Schneider Electric to build solutions that offer customers an enterprise-wide comprehensive view of energy consumption including their IT assets”
In addition to the introduction of EnergySTEP@Work, Schneider Electric announced at Cisco Live the release of Rack PDU AP8958 with Cisco EnergyWise technology, a solution designed to integrate with Schneider Electric’s StruxureWare for Data Centers software suite. This software suite is designed to collect and manage data about a data center or branch office’s assets, resource use and operation status throughout the IT environment’s lifecycle. When used as part of EnergySTEP@Work, the Cisco EnergyWise-enabled Rack PDU can increase the energy savings achieved through management of small IT spaces such as network closets located throughout buildings.
Integration of Cisco EnergyWise technology provides Schneider Electric’s AP8958 Rack PDU with the ability to report energy consumption details and be controlled via the EnergyWise protocol across the Cisco network. Customers can also use EnergyWise to configure the PDU to shed loads during power outages to reserve battery power for those loads that may be more critical such as network connections and critical server loads, both in the data center and in the remote office.
