Emerson Network Power have launched the iCOM CMS, a new thermal system control aimed at giving IT professionals much needed monitoring and protection of equipment in small IT spaces supporting edge computing.
The announcement of iCOM CMS was made today at the start of AFCOM Data Center World conference in New Orleans, where Emerson Network Power is exhibiting the iCOM CMS and other data center infrastructure solutions. The new system is available in North America.
iCOM CMS includes the first Internet of Things app in the thermal space, giving IT managers unsurpassed visibility into thermal conditions and cooling equipment performance in these small spaces via mobile devices, the web and building management systems (BMS). Emerson’s recently released “2016 Cooling the Edge Survey” found that monitoring was among the top three concerns facing IT professionals in North America when it comes to managing small IT spaces. Nearly half said these spaces contribute to company revenues.
As these small spaces grow in criticality in support of edge computing for cloud and collocation processing, iCOM CMS protects critical business revenue supported by these spaces by providing real-time alarms and notifications that reduce downtime and speed recovery. For the first time, IT managers can use mobile devices to view room and equipment conditions and alarm notifications, assign alarms to service technicians and ensure the progress of technician troubleshooting through automated workflow tracking.
Remote Visibility ‘essential’
“iCOM CMS supports the critical transformation of data center processes, delivering increased visibility and control,” said Jennifer Cooke, research director for global market intelligence provider International Data Corporation’s Datacenter Trends and Strategies team. “Improving protection and operational efficiency are top priorities for data center and facility managers; iCOM CMS provides them with a more efficient use of cooling resources as well as streamlined processes to monitor and control remote facilities. Increasingly, in hybrid environments that utilize edge computing and IoT technologies, this remote visibility and control is essential,” Cooke added.
“As enterprises are now focusing more on gathering data flows at the logical extremes of a network, remote visibility and workflow tracking control of the state of IT at the edge is critical. Enterprises need an understanding of the cooling conditions of these spaces before problems arise. iCOM CMS provides unique, advanced remote visibility and alarm management from any mobile device, desktop computer or building management system,” said Alea Fairchild, entrepreneur in residence, Blue Hill Research.
iCOM CMS is simple to deploy and secure, with streamlined BMS integration and accessibility behind corporate firewalls. It works with existing Liebert brand small space cooling systems, including the ceiling mounted Liebert Mini-Mate2 system and the wall mounted Liebert Datamate system. It also will be available with the new Liebert SRC mini-split system by the end of 2016.
“iCOM CMS is a game changer in the area of edge computing. It answers a powerful need of our IT customers for more reliable and cost-effective management of these revenue-critical spaces, and it is another important milestone in the development of our thermal controls strategy,” said John Peter Valiulis, vice president, North America thermal management marketing, for Emerson Network Power.
