Schneider Electric Partners with IBM to Bring Energy EfficientSolutions to Data Centers

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Schneider Electric, the world leader in electrical distribution, automation and industrial control products, systems, and services, and APC, a global leader in critical power and cooling services, announce their participation in the IBM Energy Efficiency Initiative. As partners in the IBM Initiative, APC and Schneider Electric bring global solutions, services, and products to IBM clients through IBM Site and Facilities Services.

“We are very pleased to have Schneider Electric join IBM’s Energy Efficiency Initiative and are confident that together, Schneider Electric and IBM will deliver real energy efficiency value to IBM’s clients worldwide.”

APC, now part of Schneider Electric’s APC-MGE Critical Power & Cooling Services business unit, is a Global Alliance Partner with IBM and a technology provider of the IBM Scalable Modular Data Center architecture. This solution, now available worldwide, incorporates award-winning technologies for power, cooling, racks and enterprise management software and helps clients rapidly deploy an energy-efficient, scalable 500 to 1,000 square foot data center to support their business. The partnership enables clients to quickly design and build a data center in nearly any working environment using IBM Global Services’ capabilities and a standardized data center architecture, reducing up front costs and reducing human error in the operations of the site.

By combining IBM technologies with those of APC and Schneider Electric, IBM will be able to construct complete IT, power and cooling infrastructure solutions for small, medium, or large data centers. IBM clients can expect to see large improvements in energy efficiency through enhanced data center design and management tools using the latest IT, uninterruptible power supply (UPS), measurement and control, and cooling technologies.

“IBM, with its broad set of capabilities and ecosystem of partners, is setting a new standard for data center energy efficiency,” says Steven Sams, IBM Vice President, Site and Facilities Services. “We are very pleased to have Schneider Electric join IBM’s Energy Efficiency Initiative and are confident that together, Schneider Electric and IBM will deliver real energy efficiency value to IBM’s clients worldwide.”

“Modern data centers are faced with the daunting task of managing ever-increasing demands for data storage and processing power,” says Laurent Vernerey, president and CEO of APC-MGE. “As data center managers have rushed to adopt new technologies to keep up with these demands, the operating cost profile of the typical data center has changed. Energy costs to power and cool computer servers have become a much larger part of the total cost of ownership for data centers. For every 1 watt of energy used to power servers, up to 3 watts of energy are required for cooling. Together, APC and Schneider Electric are uniquely positioned to work with IBM, the worldwide leader in technology services, to address the growing need for energy efficiency in the data center. “

Dave Petratis, President and Chief Executive Officer of Schneider Electric’s North American Operating Division and Schneider Electric IBM relationship Executive Sponsor emphasized, “When markets undergo dramatic change, clients generally look for an integrated solution from partners they trust. We are confident our vision to provide energy efficient solutions from desktop to data center to factory floor will be even more compelling as we leverage our technology leadership and expand our relationship with IBM.”

About Schneider Electric:

Schneider Electric is the world's power and control specialist. Through its world-class brands, Merlin Gerin, Square D and Telemecanique, Schneider Electric anticipates and satisfies its customers' requirements in the residential, building, industry and energy and infrastructure markets. With 112,000 employees and operations in 190 countries, Schneider Electric generated sales of €13.7 billion in 2006 through 13,000 distributor outlets.

About Schneider Electric’s Critical Power & Cooling Services Business Unit:

APC and MGE UPS Systems recently combined to form the Critical Power & Cooling Services business unit of Schneider Electric, $3 billion (2.4€ billion) global provider of critical power and cooling services. Together, APC and MGE offer the industry’s most comprehensive product and solution range for critical IT and process applications in industrial, enterprise, small and medium business and home environments. APC and MGE solutions include uninterruptible power supplies (UPS), precision cooling units, racks, and design and management software, including the industry’s only integrated power, cooling, and management solution. Backed by the industry’s broadest service organization and an industry leading R&D investment, the combined company’s 12,000 employees help customers confront today’s unprecedented power, cooling and management challenges.