Schneider Electric launches comprehensive energy management solution portfolio for channel partners and resell

Schneider Electric launches comprehensive energy management solution portfolio for channel partners and resellers

New offerings specifically tailored to channel enable Schneider Electric partners to generate new revenue streams in the emerging energy management market

WEST KINGSTON, R.I. – August 24, 2012 – Schneider Electric, a global specialist in energy management, has announced the launch of a comprehensive, multiple component package for its channel partners and resellers, providing the capabilities needed to capitalize on the rapidly growing energy management market and open up entirely new streams of revenue. The new offerings include a Software Partner Program, a SMB Solutions and Design Tool, new Specialized Learning Paths, new physical infrastructure-focused functions in Schneider Electric’s StruxureWare Operations v7.2 software, and a newly launched, online data center community (www.apcpartnercentral.com) to offer channel partners one easy point of access to Schneider Electric’s energy management education programs, knowledge, forums and solutions.

“We have been fortunate to have loyal, strong channel partners over the past two decades, through market changes and volatility, and we’re thrilled to offer these partners the business value and revenue which energy management can bring,” said Rob McKernan, North American president of Schneider Electric’s IT Business. “As IT services rise in demand, the customers our partners serve will find themselves in greater need of intelligent solutions, driven by volatile energy prices and the sharpening focus on sustainability for companies everywhere. Our goal is to ready our partners to meet this demand.”

The rise of cloud computing and virtualization has allowed the data center industry to make huge strides in freeing up IT resources to optimize, utilize and scale computing power. As companies of all sizes flock to these advantages, the effect of these trends on the physical data center infrastructure remains largely overlooked, presenting challenges to businesses who do not properly size their new cooling and power infrastructures. These obstacles can include higher power densities, cooling challenges, worsened PUE and dynamic IT loads varying in both time and location.

For channel partners looking to grow their businesses and elevate their status as a trusted advisor to customers, these obstacles drive a market void for this lesser-known side of virtualization – positioning energy management, facility lifecycle and sustainability, and data center infrastructure as potential cornerstone solutions for maintaining optimal efficiency and operations.

“We have made several crucial acquisitions and completed technology developments to be able to build an offering of hardware and software that meets nearly every energy management challenge presented in data centers today,” McKernan said. “For example, the acquisition of Viridity has enabled us to integrate technology into our software solutions that allows channel partners to identify and eliminate areas where customers are wasting energy in their power infrastructures, resulting in a major reduction in consumption costs.”

In addition to harnessing and leveraging current technology advances in energy management, channel partners will now be able to use Schneider Electric’s specialized paths and customized design portals to build the most effective solution for a given energy management problem, encompassing both hardware and software, to meet specific customer needs.

“Our partnership with Schneider Electric has enabled us to market a very comprehensive energy management offering,” said Wendy Maurer-Linsky, vice president at Tech Data Corporation. “With this offering, we expect to be able to augment and round out that offering even further in the future.”

For more information on Schneider Electric’s channel partner program, please visit www.schneider-electric.com. To visit the online data center community, please visit www.apcpartnercentral.com.

About Schneider Electric

As a global specialist in energy management with operations in more than 100 countries, Schneider Electric offers integrated solutions across multiple market segments, including leadership positions in Utilities & Infrastructures, Industries & Machine Manufacturers, Non-residential Buildings, Data Centers & Networks and Residential. Focused on making energy safe, reliable, efficient, productive and green, the company’s 130,000 plus employees achieved sales of about 31 billion US dollars (22.4 billion euros) in 2011, through an active commitment to help individuals and organizations make the most of their energy. www.schneider electric.com/us

■