Eaton Introduces ' World's Ugliest Server'
With the growing focus on data center energy efficiency, that's a growth demographic. The new server provides a web interface to Eaton's Power Xpert Architecture, and provides detailed information about power quality as the electricity enters the data center, identifying sags, swells, transient and other power events that could impact the IT equipment. Any unusual events are time-stamped for later analysis, and staff can monitor and manage the system remotely via the web.
"Topics of hard drive utilization, bandwidth usage and CPU capacity are all second nature to IT managers," said Jim Thompson, product line manager, Software and Meters at Eaton. "However, the entire community of IT professionals is increasingly being asked to understand electricity because damaging power disturbances such as sags, swells and transients pose threats to critical infrastructure equipment. The Power Xpert Server Solution is a single server that runs continuously to monitor the single most misunderstood component in data centers, server rooms or other IT facilities – the power."
The Power Xpert Server Solution consists of a power quality meter, Ethernet switch, current transformer and installation equipment. The server translates complex electrical data into user-friendly graphics, using a traffic light (green-yellow-red) temperature gauge to show the status of the data center’s power quality. The servers don't fit into a standard rack, but are instead installed at switchgear or UPS systems.
Posted by Rich Miller 
May 08, 2008 | Permalink | Newsletter
November 09, 2007
Eaton Buys MGE Small Systems Unit
Eaton Corporation has acquired the MGE small systems business unit from Schneider Electric for about $612 million. The unit, known as MGE Office Protection Systems, is based in Montbonnot, France and sells UPS and surge suppression products in 60 countries. Eaton is best known for its PowerWare UPS systems and Cutler-Hammer surge protection devices.
The deal was driven by Schneider's acquisition of American Power Conversion (APC), which closed early this year. Schneider merged APC with its MGE UPS Systems business, which it acquired in 2003. The European Union cleared the Schneider-APC deal on the condition that Schneider divest its MGE operations for small UPS systems (less than 20kVA). MGE's large capacity UPS business became part of APC-MGE.
Posted by Rich Miller November 09, 2007 | Permalink | Newsletter
April 18, 2007
Eaton Acquires Aphel in Power Deal
Eaton Corporation (ETN), which makes the Powerware line of UPS systems and power management equipment, announced earlier this month that it has acquired Aphel Technologies Limited, a UK-based supplier of high density, fault-tolerant power distribution solutions (PDUs) for data centers. Terms were not disclosed. Aphel had sales of $12.3 million in 2006.
"The acquisition of Aphel Technologies expands our power quality and distribution offerings to customers in key European markets," said Randy Carson, Eaton senior vice president and president of its Electrical Group. Indeed, its increasingly a global marketplace for data center power and cooling products, as demonstrated by Schneider's purchase of APC last year. Eaton also announced earnings earlier this week, noting that "the markets for uninterruptible power supply products registered solid growth." Revenue in the company's electrical segment jumped 12% to $1.1 billion, briefly helping Eaton's shares hit an all-time high.
Posted by Rich Miller April 18, 2007 | Permalink | Newsletter
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