PDI’S Cloud-Based Data Center Power Management Saves Thousands

Power Distribution, Inc. (PDI) has introduced PeakColo as its newest customer. PeakColo is utilizing the company’s newly announced PowerMap solution across its five data centers to automatically upload individual circuit-based power statistics and secure power management information in the cloud¾eliminating the need for handheld meters.

Efficient energy consumption and management continues to be a top priority for data center managers today. The EPA reports that power use in the data center doubled between 2000 and 2006. The government agency also expected this figure to double yet again by 2011.

“Energy costs are quickly getting out of control. When you combine rising prices with the expanding size of today’s data centers, it’s easy to see why efficient energy management is so critical,” said Luke Norris, founder/CEO of PeakColo. “To help our customers maximize their investments in virtualization and cloud services, we needed to keep a close eye on our pass-through energy costs. That’s why we turned to PDI.”

PeakColo delivers Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IAAS) solutions via the company’s three Denver, Colorado and one Phoenix, Arizona data centers. Prior to PDI, the company was forced to undertake the highly inefficient process of manually calculating and reporting on customer power usage.

Continued Luke Norris, “Our teams were literally forced to take a ‘hands-on’ approach¾physically removing panel boards from the circuit breaker to see what was being used. This method was not only time-consuming, but also involved some risk through direct contact with the wiring.”

In addition to wasted time, PeakColo found this manual process to be inefficient. Under the old method, the company was unable to quickly pull reports for customers when power costs were in question. Faced with these mounting challenges, PeakColo realized it needed a better way to track power, “The way we were tracking just wasn’t working¾plain and simple. That’s when we turned to PDI for help,” continued Norris.

The company found what it was looking for in PDI’s PowerMap. The software instantly uploads all client power usage data into the cloud, where PeakColo can then instantly access the information and send customer reports. By forwarding detailed power utilization reports alongside invoices, PeakColo saved thousands of dollars.

“Not only did we save a significant amount of money right from the start, but we’re also now realizing cost-efficiencies of one man-day of labor per month,” continued Norris. “Even more importantly, we deliver stronger SLAs for our customers. Before PDI, this never would have been possible.”

Along with the ability to store and access power consumption statistics via the cloud, PowerMap also brings the following features: