The super-sized data centers that support cloud services and social media platforms have garnered a lot of attention in the industry—and with good reason. As their operators explore ways to scale faster and operate more economically, they are pioneering new designs and equipment configurations that could have broad implications for the industry.

But there’s another, perhaps less glamorous, development occurring on the other end of the size spectrum that also deserves attention: how remote IT sites are adapting to their increasingly important role in connecting users and devices with critical applications.

These “edge” locations include small computer rooms and communication centers in regional offices, network closets in schools, the critical power systems and associated IT in retail stores and bank branches, local infrastructure that supports IoT devices, and a host of other applications.

Some of these sites represent new applications for IT while others are simply seeing growing demand as organizations seek to minimize latency, expand services, and collect more data as they digitize operations.

Unlike large data centers, however, which are carefully engineered to create a controlled, physically secure environment for IT equipment, these micro data centers are often deployed in spaces that were never designed to house IT equipment. They may be squeezed into spare closets or storerooms, sharing space with cleaning supplies and excess inventory, or tucked into the corner of a publicly accessible space.

They also often operate in environments without on-site IT support. If a problem arises with equipment, a service specialist may have to drive to the site, diagnose the issue, order parts and then return to the site to fix the trouble, turning what could have been a quick-fix into a multi-day problem, and a waste of time and resources.

To combat these issues, edge-dependent organizations are seeking new approaches to ensure the availability and physical security of remote IT assets. Not surprisingly, the power system is at the heart of many of these developments. These four power-related trends are emerging as key solutions:

1. More Robust UPS Topologies

In the past, many edge locations were considered less critical than the main data center and thus protected by line-interactive UPS systems. Line interactive UPS systems provide cost-effective back-up power with some voltage conditioning and filtering, but don’t deliver the same level of protection as the double conversion UPS systems commonly used in most data centers.

In contrast, double conversion UPS systems protect against the full range of power anomalies without going to battery. By creating a clean AC waveform within the UPS, they eliminate sags, spikes, transients, and noise to ensure continuous, clean power to IT equipment. As the edge becomes more critical, compact rack-mount and freestanding double-conversion UPS systems designed specifically for small spaces are displacing line-interactive UPS in remote locations.

2. Remote Monitoring

One of the biggest challenges of remote site management is lack of visibility into equipment operation. This is being addressed through the use of communication cards within the UPS system that collect and communicate operating and environmental data to a centralized infrastructure monitoring, infrastructure management, or building management system.

With monitoring-enabled UPS systems, organizations can better schedule preventive maintenance, react faster to events or outsource power system monitoring to a third-party service organization.

Intelligent rack power distribution units (rack PDU) support remote visibility and management by providing PDU-level and receptacle-level metering, for insight into site and device power consumption. They also provide the ability to cycle equipment on and off through remote receptacle-level switching.

When paired with remote IT-management tools, such as serial consoles and KVMs, organizations now have comprehensive visibility into, and access to, the power system and the equipment it supports.

3. Lifecycle Services

UPS systems depend, in part, on batteries to perform at a moment’s notice. Depending on the scale of backup power, it’s not a matter of if you’ll have to replace the batteries on a UPS, but when. And when you are managing multiple remote sites across a network, when can be frequently. Being proactive makes all the difference.

Many organizations are not well positioned to manage centralized power, let alone multiple remote locations. Outsourcing UPS maintenance to a third-party through a service contract allows for proper attention to these critical computing locations. 

A large k-12 school district had to dedicate a member of its IT team full-time just to travel to its 100-plus buildings with network closets to replace UPS batteries and respond to alarms. When it came time to replace the aging UPS systems, the district included a comprehensive five-year service agreement in the purchase. The agreement included remote monitoring and on-site maintenance and allowed the technician to get off the road and focus on higher-value networking issues.

4. System Integration

Rather than integrating racks, power strips, UPS systems and other hardware on-site, many organizations are finding the value of packaged solutions in which all of these components are integrated by the vendor and arrive on-site ready to plug-and-play the protected IT equipment.

Integrated solutions can be particularly valuable for organizations seeking to significantly expand or overhaul their edge network. For example, a retailer introducing a new store concept needed to quickly provide IT-ready infrastructure to support the multi-location launch. Rather than burdening staff with the task of building out each rack, they chose an integrated cabinet with double-conversion UPS and intelligent power strips pre-installed. They were able to meet their requirements for capacity, space, availability, speed, and security while saving in-house IT staff time. Plus, they now have a repeatable single-part number to simplify ordering and deployment for future locations.

Edge locations can’t be managed as islands. To meet the capacity, speed-of-deployment, and reliability requirements of today’s distributed IT sites, critical power for these sites must be configured, deployed and managed through a holistic approach that includes the right technology, remote monitoring, and integration and maintenance services.

Distributed IT, Need For Speed Driving Integration

Infrastructure technologies are evolving to deliver the speed, flexibility and efficiency needed to meet the needs of today’s more dynamic networks and more connected world. From hyperscale facilities to the edge of the network, integration is emerging as a significant trend in IT infrastructure. Why? There are several reasons, but none more important than the need for speed.

If you can’t meet capacity demands as they arise, your competitors will. The traditional two-year data center deployment cycle simply isn’t good enough. The need for on-demand capacity is driving more and more organizations to the cloud or to colocation facilities, but it’s also fundamentally changing the way IT resources are designed and deployed. The process is becoming more streamlined, with IT deployments—including entire facilities—designed and manufactured offsite as prefabricated modules, then shipped where they’re needed for assembly and commissioning. Prefab design is reducing development times by roughly 30 percent and, just as importantly, resulting in tightly integrated, reliable, and highly efficient network facilities.

The same thing is happening at the edge, where network closets and micro data centers are growing in number and importance as distributed IT and the Internet of Things push IT resources closer to users. Pre-configured micro data center solutions—from single cabinets up to containers—support fast deployment, greater standardization, and remote management across distributed locations.