EkkoSense has released
EkkoSoft Critical 3.1 – the latest version of its SaaS-enabled 3D thermal visualisation and monitoring software offering for managing critical data centre thermal risks.
The new cloud-based release builds on EkkoSoft Critical's proven risk reduction and guaranteed energy savings capabilities by providing data centre operators with the industry’s most comprehensive Capacity Management Planning and Reporting suite. EkkoSoft Critical 3.1 features 1-click access to real-time Power Capacity, Space Capacity and Cooling Capacity reports, in addition to the software’s existing 3D thermal visualisation capabilities.
“Power, Space and Cooling utilisation are the three key metrics that data centre managers need to know about on an ongoing basis. However, getting hold of an accurate, up-to-date picture of what’s actually going on in the data centre has always proved difficult,” explained EkkoSense’s CEO, Dean Boyle. “With EkkoSoft Critical 3.1 we’re breaking new ground in terms of data centre capacity reporting – providing data centre operators with immediate access to their estate’s power consumption, space utilisation and total cooling utilisation performance in real-time.”
![EkkoSoft Critical 3.1 reporting]()
EkkoSense Critical 3.1 now gives data centre operators comprehensive capacity management planning capabilities, including the ability to include Reserved Space
EkkoSoft Critical 3.1 also features tight integration with the company’s unique EkkoAir family of Internet of Things enabled sensors. EkkoAir enables continuous access to real-time thermal and cooling duty data – helping data centre operators to identify and resolve any un-necessary under-cooling or over-cooling of their IT assets.
“Organisations taking advantage of our EkkoSoft Critical thermal visualisation monitoring software and real-time Internet of Things-enabled sensors and optimisation services - typically achieve average data centre energy savings of at least 23% with a sub 12-month payback. They’ve also significantly reduced their data centre risk by securing 100% thermal compliance,” continued Dean. “So far, so good, but with thermal risk now accounting for 29% of unplanned outages in data centres, we’re convinced that organisations can still do a lot more to optimise airflow and cooling strategy management for their data centres.
“That’s why with EkkoSoft Critical 3.1 we’re providing data centre operators with further easy-to-use Capacity Management Planning and Layout capabilities – such as Reserved Space and Free Space - to help organisations take a much more active role when it comes to managing data centre thermal performance and capacity management,” he added. “Rather than simply looking to optimise existing layouts, EkkoSoft Critical 3.1 helps data centre operators to design and model their own data centre environments - so that they’re thermally optimised right from the start. Not only will this help organisations to break their habit of simply adding more expensive cooling devices as soon as room temperatures start to rise, but EkkoSoft Critical 3.1 will also prove critical in terms of releasing further data centre capacity through ongoing thermal optimisation.”
Core EkkoSoft Critical 3.1 functionality includes rack-level thermal/airflow/power monitoring from manual and sensor inputs; 3D visualisation of your data centre’ thermal and cooling profiles, enabling you to track cooling performance/efficiency and manage thermal compliance; and an easy-to-use rapid 3D Room Builder that lets data centre managers model and build their own room layouts virtually. The solution’s 3D immersive views lets you virtually walk through your data centre environment – regardless of location – to check on specific racks and monitor air flows.
In addition to EkkoSoft Critical 3.1’s best practice functionality, new capabilities include:
- Comprehensive Capacity Management Planning capabilities – Data centre capacity issues are rarely to do with cooling plant or lack of capacity, but are more to do with airflow and cooling strategy management. With increased confidence around thermal performance, data centre operators can increasingly take advantage of new EkkoSoft Critical features such as Space Planning and Reserved Space Allocation to unlock further capacity from their existing data centre infrastructure with the ability to design and model their DC environment so that it can be thermally optimised right from the start
- Instantaneous Reports – EkkoSense Critical offers a full range of reporting including a Thermal Overview, Cooling Capacity, Power Capacity and Space Capacity updates.
- Major Visualisations Update – EkkoSoft Critical's Visualisations have been updated to show temperature gradients – specifically temperature changes across Rack Inlets and ACUs that indicate airflow and cooling performance.
- Proposed Layouts – an easy-to-use design feature that allows data centre managers to experiment with new layouts and take advantage of the software’s Room Builder objects without impacting their core EkkoSoft Critical functionality. Proposed Layouts can be edited, saved and re-saved as often as required, with no requirement for specialist graphics or design skills.
- Ability to combine manual data sources with monitored data – allowing organisations to create the reports and visualisations they need based on all the data collection sources they have access to at any time.
- Comprehensive EkkoAir Internet of Things sensor integration – providing constant 24/7 monitoring of airflows and cooling duties, ensuring much greater granularity of data on a rack-by-rack basis, even more precise visualisations, and the ability to audit data centre thermal performance in real-time.
