Protect Your IT Facility

Submitted by araynor on Wed, 2011/04/06 - 14:11

What's the single greatest threat to data centre environments? improper cooling, which can cause interruption. But the good news is that computer room environmental monitoring tools make it possible to prevent such problems.

AVTECH has been in the business of supplying IT facility environmental monitoring products to businesses of all sizes since 1988 and has more than 100,000 end usersf in 104 countries.

Industry-Leading Technology

As a leader within its industry, AVTECH customers have come to rely on the company’s environmental monitoring Room Alert and
TemPageR packages. These solutions monitor computer room temperature, power, humidity, motion, airflow, and more, alerting personnel to conditions that could result in Web site downtime, equipment failure, and extreme temperature fluctuations. Many data centers have come to rely on AVTECH’s Room Alert 26W and 26WO, which let you gather real-time data logging, manage advanced alerts, and watch for status changes throughout IT facilities and offer features such as an external digital temperature sensor
and P-WiSH (Powered Wireless Sensor Hub). This month, AVTECH is retiring the popular Room Alert 26W and 26WO and replacing them with new systems with bigger engines, more sensor ports, and more features, although AVTECH will continue to support the 26W and 26WO as long as customers have a current maintenance support and update contract.

Upping The Ante

“We’re taking our leading product and upping the ante,” says Michael Sigourney, founder and president of AVTECH. “We’re confident this new model is better than anyone
else’s and does more than anyone else out there,” he says. In fact, AVTECH ranks its two newest Room Alert models—the 32E and 32W as the Ultimate. The products have the same red 19-inch 1U rackmount form factor as Room Alert 26WO and 26W, but now they run using the Power over Ethernet, which, Sigourney says, will become standard for all new AVTECH products. In addition, the 32W can accommodate up to 100 digital sensor ports—30% more than previous versions, he says.

The 32E and 32W also feature relay outputs for backup relay, letting you remotely turn devices on or off, and 0-5V analogue sensor inputs, so you can log information from other equipment manufacturers’ sensors. Plus you can use up to eight relay switches, and there are plenty of additional ports for signal towers, along with low-cost expansion options. The Room Alert 32W wireless model with WiSH and WiSPR compatibility has a maximum wireless communications range of up to 76m (WiSH) and 106m (WiSPR) in ideal conditions.

The two versions of Room Alert 32 offer password security, run as a Windows service for security, and also incorporate automatic Axis camera discovery. Optional capabilities include automatic actions for Windows, Unix, and Linux systems; advanced reporting; and dial-out actions via GSM, text, and, soon, voice.

Software Advantage

Both the 32E and 32W, like other AVTECH environmental monitors, come with a full license of the AVTECH Device ManageR software. “The software is a real advantage,” Room Alert Screenshot Sigourney says, and is one of the things that differentiates AVTECH products in this market. Device ManageR discovers devices via UDP, TCP, and Bonjour and automatically alerts you of out-of-date firmware, copies configurations to multiple monitors simultaneously, and displays a graphic of the hardware monitor model in use. Within the next six months, AVTECH plans significant enhancements to the Device ManageR program based on user requests; these updates will be automatically available free of charge to anyone using the software application.

Both the 32E and 32W include a year-long subscription to AVTECH’s Maintenance, Support & Update Service, which provides firmware and software updates or
enhancements, technical support, and full hardware replacement on the ID box free of charge. Annual maintenance renewal plans are available after the initial year and, AVTECH says, 86.6% of customers keep the protection plan year after year. AVTECH will continue to offer support and product replacement for as long as a customer continues the maintenance plan.

Cost-Effective Options

If your environment doesn’t demand the capabilities found in the Room Alert 32E and 32W, AVTECH has a number of other cost-effective monitoring options. The Room Alert 11E, for instance, assists in monitoring multiple rooms up to 900 feet away. It also supports up to two digital temperature or humidity sensors within a 100-foot radius. The Room Alert 4E includes the Device ManageR software to efficiently monitor network units. You can install the Room Alert 4E in wiring closets, rack cabinets, large data centres, and computer rooms in multiple facilities.

Reproduced from the original article in Processor, March 11, 2011, by Joanna Clay