Sentilla Claims Data Centre Energy Monitoring First

Data centre energy management systems provider, Sentilla has just launched the third generation of its software-only enterprise management system for tracking power utilisation of both metered and unmetered equipment in the data centre.

Sentilla Energy Manager Version 3.0 claims to enable IT and facilities managers to measure and report energy use of all assets in real-time, using the first-of-its-kind, Sentilla Inference Engine to monitor the power consumption of unmetered assets in addition to those that are fitted with meters. Other version enhancements include more comprehensive reporting functionality to provide expanded cost control and chargeback options.

With the enhancements integrated into this product release, Sentilla provides its data centre customers a means to improve data centre operations by optimising both computing and facility capacity and performance, while reducing costs and mitigating risk. And because it is a software-only solution, even large enterprises can implement it without disrupting operations.

“The challenge of predicting and managing energy use in the data centre is compounded by the fact that the majority of servers and other equipment are not even metered,” said David J. Cappuccio, Gartner chief of infrastructures research. By creating the Inference Engine, Sentilla says it is providing a non-invasive, software-only means to track, predict, manage and control every aspect of energy consumption in the data centre in order to optimise performance and cut expenses, through minimal cost and disruption.

“In ongoing conversations with CIOs and IT managers, we’ve repeatedly heard that tackling the issue of energy use in the data centre is a top five priority for 2010,” said Bob Davis, chief executive officer of Sentilla. “The challenge they face in getting started is the lack of visibility into energy use by unmetered equipment. Sentilla enables companies to manage energy like any other IT asset in the data centre. Our focus with every product innovation is two-fold: helping data centres reduce power consumption while increasing computing capacity and performance. Addressing the problem from both angles makes a tremendous impact on the bottom line for our customers.”

Tony Lock, Freeform Dynamics programme director agreed that cost was likely to be the main trigger for a company to look at using software like Sentilla Energy Manager v3.0. He said the rising cost of powering data centre systems, including heating, ventilation, air-conditioning and cooling (HVAC), as well as the cost of floor space, was causing those organisations with internal data centres to look again at their management.

“There are very few data centres that have green strategies,” Lock told eWEEK Europe, “but some, that are constrained by physical space or energy requirements could use such a monitoring system to help locate kit they could potentially consolidate or retire.”

He said such a product was likely to appeal to organisations looking to manage their in-house data centre energy requirements more effectively: “Is it going to be 100-per-cent accurate? No. But considering how few data centre managers even see their electricity bill, any information on where energy is being consumed in the data centre is better than none.”