How an IT solution provider can increase uptime

As borders reopen and workers head back to offices, many organisations are continuing with hybrid work arrangements. This offers an optimal level of flexibility and safety, important at a time when new variants are triggering additional waves of infection.

Of course, a hybrid work arrangement does mean that IT departments are more stretched than ever, a situation that is made worse by the tight labour market. This is where an IT solution provider can make a difference, especially given the rapid rise of edge deployments.

Power needs at the edge

But why are businesses turning to edge computing? One reason is to keep processing and storage as close as possible to users and data sources. Doing this allows organisations to benefit from the lower cost of data transmission and reduced latency of an edge deployment. Indeed, organisations that deal with a high volume of data can expect to see tremendous cost savings on this front.

Edge computing is also ideally suited for AI processing or data analytics, both of which require huge volumes of data. On its part, an edge deployment is typically deployed as a micro data centre. Though smaller in scale, micro data centres do have similar requirements to full-fledged data centres, from security to redundancy - the latter will include uninterruptible power systems (UPS) - all of which must be managed around the clock.

Unsurprisingly, edge deployments tend to multiply as businesses grow, putting the onus on the organisation to effectively their growing pool of micro data centres. As you can imagine, managing these assets is an ideal niche for an IT solution provider.

Managed power services to the rescue

Paul Tyrer of Schneider Electric shared an example of a community college district in the United States that turned to an IT solution provider to improve the management of its power infrastructure. Pressed by the need to improve uptime and oversee 120 server closets dispersed across three campuses in Southern California, it decided to seek the help of external experts.

The managed service provider helped the college district move away from its old "fix it when it breaks" strategy to a more efficient and proactive power management approach. An upgrading initiative was first performed to ensure that every wiring closet could be remotely monitored, improving the overall management and reliability of its systems.

Crucially, remote access ensured that site visits were kept to a minimum, with routine maintenance done remotely with full visibility of all systems across all three campuses. Moreover, automatic alerts are generated whenever there is an issue with a UPS, ensuring that problems are speedily rectified.

The result was a reduction in unplanned IT downtime with no increase in manpower. And problems with UPS were quickly addressed by the IT provider, allowing the college to focus on its core competency of providing core IT services to students and faculty staff.

By creating a new source of recurring revenue on top of initial hardware sales, this arrangement benefited the IT solution provider, too. The recurring revenue ensures a continuous cash flow, reducing the pressure on closing the next solution sale to keep the business healthy.