Schneider Electric has launched a first of its kind wall-mounted micro data centre designed to support large edge servers in smaller environments or those without robust physical security measures.
The 6U unit is the latest in the company's EcoStruxure Data Centre range and is designed as a self-contained single-rack enclosure that incorporates remote monitoring, management services, an uninterrupted power supply, and cooling systems inside a low profile cabinet.
This can then be either mounted onto a wall out of the reach of potential interference or placed on the ground, depending on the size and requirements of a room. With this, the company said smaller businesses, or those with offices and factory floors that are generally not optimised for IT equipment, are still able to put their networking technology nearer to their employees or customers.
The 6U wall-mounted unit also comes with a security camera to monitor for physical security threats
"With the EcoStruxure Micro Data Center 6U Wall Mount's creative design and functionality, we are able to open up new possibilities to deploy resilient IT at the edge, making digital transformation a reality," Jim Simonelli, SVP of Emerging Businesses at Schneider Electric's Secure Power division, told delegates at the company's Innovation Summit.
Schneider said it's best used in those environments that want to deploy modern digital systems closer to their customer base, such as a supermarket using the unit to power its point of sale systems.
"No one else can provide the full, standardised IT infrastructure solutions that Schneider can along with the partner ecosystem to ensure simplified deployment and compatibility. A fully integrated EcoStruxure Data Center Solution, including EcoStruxure IT and Asset Advisor 24/7 remote monitoring and services, ensures resiliency in the cloud and at the edge."
The unit designed to be self-contained and requires very little maintenance once deployed
The 6U Micro Data Centre unit also comes with pre-installed dust filters and fan ventilation, making it suitable for light industrial environments, the company explained. It's also shock-resistant and can, therefore, be safely shipped to multiple partners who can then install components before it reaches the end customer. This means that businesses are able to use pre-configured units to standardise the rollout of edge technology tailored to their specific requirements.
Although it is sold as a 6U unit, the company explained to IT Pro that it could be deployed as a modular system, provided the wall that they are attached to can support the weight. It's possible to route cables into multiple units to share power and network traffic, therefore potentially doubling or tripling the available rack space.
The unit is also yet to make use of any liquid cooling, although the company suggested that it would be compatible with its next-gen liquid cooling system, currently in development, once it becomes available.
S-Series, C-Series and R-Series versions of the unit are available offering varying configuration options.
Alongside the new unit, the company also revealed its Device Security Vulnerability Assessment tool, available as part of the EcoStruxure IT Expert cloud software suite. The assessment tool is designed to help with the rollout of edge networks by helping administrators monitor the various devices connected to the network and reduce the possibility of data loss or downtime. Vulnerabilities, security policies, ongoing regulatory compliance checks, firmware versions, device age and device performance can all be monitored from a single dashboard.
