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One of the most important considerations in remote IT management is not actually IT equipment; it’s the infrastructure. Without an uninterruptible source of clean power, critical equipment will go down. Yet distributed environments, unlike data centers, may only be accessible to unqualified local staff. Their jobs depend on uptime, but they’re not technology specialists. So who’s minding the power?
When all is going well, no one really thinks about things going wrong; so during normal operations, remote sites frequently go unchecked and unsupervised. And because the role of local staff is conducting business — selling or service — redirecting resources to investigate a malfunction usually means a loss in revenue or dissatisfied customers.
What’s in Your IT Closet?
That’s where a partner can help. We mind the power, so you don’t have power on your mind.
To start, we’ll do a full assessment of the IT closet. You might think you know what’s behind closed doors, but typically, there’s no clear record of what’s installed, what capacity is and which equipment might need upgrading or replacement.
Even if you know which UPS to order as a replacement, that’s only one small step. Once it arrives, who is going to install it? Without proper electrical knowledge, self-assessments tend to overlook critical connections and wiring. Keep in mind, a UPS from 15 years ago typically has different wiring requirements that a newer version.
A non-expert also won’t understand which factors can affect the life expectancy of UPS batteries — dust, room temperature, loose connections, overcharging, for example — thereby influencing the reliability of the UPS.
I’ve seen people try to execute UPS replacement on their own. In one case, what would have been a five-week process turned into five months, when the manager had to assess, order, schedule delivery and installation, find a skilled, dependable electrician and deal with removal and disposal of the old UPS. Not only did this cause delay, it cost more.
Whereas, we would be the only point of contact and would facilitate all the steps and implement the change at a fixed rate. This scenario happened at one site, but time and expenses compound with every additional location.
An even more proactive approach to managing and maintaining the integrity of remote IT infrastructure, is to digitally connect all related devices to our StruxureOn service. Monitoring takes place 24×7, notification is automated and your assets are accessible via mobile app for fast resolution.
Of course, you choose the level of services to meet your needs. In any case, if you have a remote IT environment, we can be your second set of eyes and ears; the technology extends your power and we become an extension of your staff.
