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Malware Attacks are Getting Worse, but There’s a Simple Tool to Stop Them in Their Tracks Your ancillary networked equipment (UPS, air conditioners, power distribution gear, etc.) is vulnerable to the latest malware attack: Ripple20. 2NSystem’s partner, APC by Schneider Electric, has a simple and inexpensive tool that will keep your equipment safe from Ripple20 and other malware. The EcoStruxure IT Expert software will quickly identify vulnerabilities, assess options, fix the problem, and continually monitor impacted devices. Best of all, EcoStruxure IT Expert is FREE for 30 days. Contact us to get your business set up. Here’s what the software [...]

As a Facility Manager, Here’s What You Need to Know This may come as shock, given the uncertainty due to the pandemic, but right now is actually the perfect time to invest in facility upgrades. The 2020 Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Stability (CARES) Act permits a full deduction of specific project costs in a single year, with no limitations on project size. When investing in upgrades – maybe a new UPS, building management system, or HVAC sensors – you’ll receive a tax deduction for the cost of the project. Previously, the deduction was taken over a 39-year period (a [...]

Did you know that the US is experiencing more power outages than any other developed country? Do you know how much money you’ll lose without power during an unexpected outage? How much product will have to be discarded and how much time will be lost? Power outages are only going to worsen as infrastructure ages further and we place more demand on the grids. The problem is that utility companies are for-profit organizations, and “while customers may prioritize reliable power requiring expensive new equipment… companies might push replacements off as long as they can” (Chrobak, 2020.) The majority of today’s grid [...]

The situation: In the advent of “Industry 4.0” most organizations in a manufacturing vertical are seeing new ways of doing business.  These new ways of doing business are typically not optional, if keeping relevant in a competitive landscape are of importance.  The digitization of manufacturing, or Industry 4.0 if you will, have brought a host of new standards to which manufacturing companies will either sink or swim.  The “Internet of Things” is at the heart of this movement and it is driving these companies to: Deliver better analytics Increase automation and the use of robotics Add additional sensing technologies [...]

You finally received the good news from the CIO – “we have the budget to upgrade the data center for next year.”  You have been limping along for the past 5 years with aging infrastructure - hoping that the call you receive over the weekend has anything to do with something other than another outage.  Now you have the funds to fix the problems that you know you have. But here comes the hard part – assembling the team.  Your job is keeping the data center up and running.  Having preventative maintenance done on your systems is nerving [...]

Along the journey of owning and operating a data center, almost all organizations will face some challenge that surpasses their area of expertise - challenges that will require the need of an outside third party for assistance. In many of these cases, it is the lack of visibility regarding the data center’s current state versus a future desired outcome and what gaps exist between the two that will drive the need for outside expertise. Data Center Assessment Services come in a large variety of shapes and sizes and can often be tailored to accomplish a certain directive. So when [...]

The word “Edge” when used in the world of data centers can be difficult to define. It seems that if you ask 10 people in IT or Facilities to define edge, you will likely get 10 very different answers. Is it because it is misunderstood and mystified? Or is it because its potential use is so diverse? Yes, perhaps… Let us first look at the word edge. Edge is defined as “the outside limit of an object, area, or surface; a place or part farthest away from the center of something.” So, in data center terms, this means we [...]

Most UPS Emergency Maintenance Plans are accompanied with Preventive Maintenance service visits, both for the UPS itself as well as the batteries. These are critical visits, designed to identify problems where ignorance of potential issues could lead to unplanned outages. In many cases, these visits are missed, overlooked or forgotten altogether. 2NSystems has designed a program to ensure that these visits are completed and vital information on those visits are communicated back to data center management. 2NSystems will assist in the budgeting of remediation of any issue and will provide completed solutions to keep your data center up [...]

If your organization doesn’t have an infrastructure management system or remote capabilities to monitor critical environments, 2NSystems can help. 2NSystems is APC by Schneider Electric’s leading provider of DCIM in the USA and we are offering a free 90-day trial of EcoStruxure, the industry’s leading cloud based DCIM. We will also walk you through exactly how to set up and operate EcoStruxure. Sign up to download and begin your free 90-day trial The Facts: In recent years the business world had already moved many of us offsite from a company’s facility, but the global Covid-19 [...]