RF Code and Raritan Introduce Wire-Free Energy Monitoring Solution for Data Centers


Joint Integration of RF Code Power Monitoring with Raritan Intelligent Rack PDUs Helps Slash Energy Usage and Operating Costs

AUSTIN, Texas and SOMERSET, N.J. -- RF Code, Inc. and Raritan today announced they have jointly integrated RF Code's wire-free monitoring solution with Raritan intelligent rack PDUs. The combined wire-free energy management solution, available now, is comprised of RF Code active RFID hardware and management software and Raritan's "RF Code-Ready" PX family of rack PDUs that uniquely measure and monitor power usage of individual servers and other IT devices, as well as temperature and humidity at racks.

As costs related to power usage continue to soar, outpacing the cost of data center hardware, companies must now look for ways to run their facilities more efficiently. Instrumenting a data center with monitoring technology that captures granular power usage data is part of that ongoing effort.

The easy-to-deploy wire-free RF Code/Raritan solution enables racks to be instrumented quickly for power monitoring at the device level, and eliminates the time and cost associated with wired Ethernet connections that can be expensive. Deploying the joint solution simply involves plugging an RF Code sensor tag into a Raritan PDU. No IP address association, configuration or IP address maintenance is involved. Instead, the RF Code wire-free sensor tag starts directly capturing power monitoring data from the Raritan PDU and then sends that data over the air via the RF Code active RFID infrastructure -- from tag to reader to management software. The RF Code sensor tag has a list price of $99. Raritan intelligent PDUs start at $449.

"The integration of our intelligent PDUs with RF Code's PDU sensor tag will provide customers with a reliable wire-free option for deploying power monitoring solutions in their data centers," said Henry Hsu, Director, Power Management Architecture at Raritan. "The solution is designed to provide more flexibility and ease in deploying energy-monitoring PDUs in racks, as well as saving costs. The real-time information the solution generates will enable our customers to manage power efficiently and effectively and detect power issues before they become expensive problems."

"Working with Raritan on developing and integrating a new RF Code power monitoring sensor is an example of innovative companies coming together to solve an urgent problem," said Mitch Medford, RF Code CEO. "Our integrated solution provides data centers with the tools they need to run more efficient facilities."

How the Integrated Solution Works

The new RF Code R170 PDU Tag for Raritan plugs into a dedicated port on Raritan's latest-generation Dominion PX rack PDUs -- including switched, outlet-level metered and line-level metered PDUs. The sensor collects power data from the PDU and then transmits that data to an RF Code reader. Data collected includes RMS current, RMS voltage, active power, apparent power and breaker status. The data is sent to RF Code's Sensor Manager software -- which not only manages the captured information, but makes additional computations about power usage gleaned from the data it has collected. This provides the customer with a complete picture of power utilization. Customers can use Sensor Manager to manage the data using:

-- Live table views
-- Map views
-- Interactive graphing and reporting
-- Scheduled graphing and reporting
-- Alerting and thresholding

For more information about the RF Code/Raritan solution, contact RF Code, dgould@rfcode.com, or Raritan, henry.hsu@raritan.com.

About RF Code, Inc.

RF Code is a leading provider of active IT asset management and environmental monitoring solutions as well as a leader in providing technology used by third parties to enhance their solutions. The company's unique active RFID-based solutions provide IT professionals with a more efficient, cost-effective approach to managing IT assets and keeping technology environments in an optimal state. RF Code's fully automated, wire-free solutions significantly reduce costs, eliminate manual labor, and deliver an immediate return on investment. www.rfcode.com

About Raritan

Raritan is a proven innovator of power management, infrastructure management, KVM and serial solutions for data centers of all sizes. In more than 50,000 locations worldwide, Raritan's award-winning hardware and software solutions -- including intelligent PDUs, energy management software, KVM-over-IP and Serial-over-IP access products -- provide IT and facility directors, managers and administrators with the control they need to increase power management efficiency, improve data center productivity and enhance branch office operations. Based in Somerset, N.J., Raritan has offices worldwide serving 76 countries. For more information, visit Raritan.com. Raritan is an active member of the Green Grid, Climate Savers Computing Initiative, and the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design associations. The company has been recognized by the EPA for its contribution to the agency's data center initiative.

RF Code and the RF Code logo are either registered trademarks or trademarks of RF Code Incorporated in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners

CONTACT: Joan Osleeb of RF Code, +1-512-439-2245, Cell, +1-512-789-6168, josleeb@rfcode.com; or Raritan, +1-978-526-1601 ext. 162, Cell, +1-978-660-0580, Raritan@theHarborGroup.com

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