A cross-section view of the SmartMod, the modular data center component of the Smart Solutions product line from Emerson Network Power.
Emerson Network Power is pushing into the modular data center market in a larger way with today's debut of Smart Solutions, a family of integrated infrastructure systems for the data center. The new products bring together hardware and software in row-level and container-based solutions that allow customers to quickly deploy advanced IT infrastructure.
Emerson becomes the latest data center equipment vendor to boost its focus on the modular data center market, which offers flexible designs that resemble traditional data centers, but can be built cheaper and faster than typical greenfield projects. The company initially rolled out a container offering last summer, but only in Europe.
Emerson's modular offerings include the SmartRow and SmartMod, which are both available globally. Here's a review of the new products:
- The SmartRow (PDF) is a standalone data center infrastructure that supports up to 20kW of IT equipment in an enclosed, multi-rack configuration with integrated power, cooling, infrastructure management and fire suppression.
- The SmartMod (PDF) is a container-based offering that includes IT equipment, power and cooling a rapid-deployment enclosure. It can be used to supplement existing data center capacity or can be deployed as a remote data center or disaster recovery site. The SmartMod enclosure comes in either 40-foot and 53-foot sizes.
The new products can integrate with Emerson's SmartAisle, an existing a system that combines cold-aisle containment, in-row cooling and management tools to provide data center managers with more control over the temperature and energy use in their environments. (See our video demo of the SmartAisle for more)
"Our customers are looking for greater economy and efficiency in their data centers, interoperability with existing systems and more control over their IT environments," said Jeff Sturgeon, vice president of solutions and marketing, Emerson Network Power's Liebert power and cooling business. "Delivering a new level of modularity, scalability and flexibility, these new solutions will serve as guiding principles as we expand the family of Smart Solutions.”
Smart Solutions
The Smart Solutions integrate many of Emerson’s power and precision cooling technologies and services, including Liebert, Knurr, ASCO, Avocent, and NetSure.
The SmartRow is available in air-cooled, water/glycol and chilled water configurations to work with existing heat rejection systems. The infrastructure features a backup ventilation system with temperature sensors that activate exhaust fans at the top of the enclosure if temperatures get too high for any reason. Power protection can be provided by rack UPS systems or existing UPS systems. In addition, integrated fire suppression allows the system to meet fire code without costly room modifications.
Emerson says the SmartMod's 11.5-foot internal width differentiates the new enclosure from traditional container systems, providing sufficient access to the front and rear of the rack row for servicing without the use of rack sliders and without having to open the enclosure to the outside elements. To accommodate larger IT loads, power and IT equipment can be separated into matching enclosures configured to function together.
A look at the SmartRow integrated infrastructure solution from Emerson Network Power.
