July 15, 2008 -- Johnson Controls announced plans to integrate the energy monitoring and control capabilities of its Metasys building management system with the data center energy management capabilities provided by the IBM Tivoli Monitoring for Energy Management software. The integrated software aims to help data centers in becoming more energy efficient and sustainable.
According to the companies, integrating the two systems will help data center customers address the growing need to maximize energy efficiency, reduce power and cooling costs, and make real-time power decisions. The software's Web-enabled offering will allow customers to decide whether to scale back data center power consumption, allocate energy consuming assets based on the priority needs of the business, and make fast failover decisions to help ensure uninterrupted performance of critical IT services.
While the Metasys building management system provides real-time monitoring and control for building and system infrastructure, the IBM Tivoli Monitoring for Energy Management software provides the same capabilities for a facility's IT infrastructure. Integrated, the software enables data centers with a platform that addresses both their systems and IT energy efficiency needs.
Johnson notes that its Metasys building management system integrates building systems and equipment to provide centralized monitoring and control and a high degree of automation. The Metasys software organizes and interprets events, audits and other critical data, and allows monitoring and control from any Web-enabled device. The result is buildings that are more comfortable, safe and sustainable, maintains the company.
The combination of the Metasys and Tivoli systems is intended to enhance an "enterprisewide" view of energy consumption, from data centers to security systems, air conditioning and lighting. This information will allow customers to analyze events and alerts and then take action that can lower energy consumption and support quality delivery of IT services.
"As far as technology and solutions are concerned, this combined offering will provide customers with one comprehensive solution to help them improve energy efficiency," comments David Love, director of Private Sector Solutions for Johnson Controls. "By combining IBM's software innovation with Johnson Controls' facility management expertise, customers around the globe will have efficient and manageable data centers. We will have truly set the standard."
Johnson says its Metasys software already includes features that reduce energy usage and lower utility bills. The latest version features expanded support for Demand Limiting and Load Rolling (DLLR). Demand Limiting predicts potential energy peaks by monitoring the utility meters and employs a flexible control strategy to defer energy consuming loads to times of the day when energy usage is billed at lower rates. Load Rolling provides a control strategy that reduces total energy usage by adjusting or resetting noncritical equipment, while maintaining occupant comfort. By incorporating the IBM Tivoli Monitoring for Energy Management software into Metasys building management system, another layer of energy management will be added to an already robust platform.
The companies say the combined software will consolidate views of energy management information, enabling optimization across data centers and building infrastructures. Web-enabled monitoring capabilities will offer customers the ability to understand energy usage remotely, allowing facility and IT managers to identify potential energy-related problems and take corrective or preventive action immediately. Additionally, historical trending and forecasting capabilities can enhance precision in existing environments. Energy planning features will allow customers to set power and usage thresholds to control energy usage regardless of demand.
"Customers today are faced with an array of energy challenges such as increased power and cooling costs, exceeding power capacity, and an inability to monitor and plan for power consumption," remarks Stuart McIrvine, director, Emerging Markets, IBM Tivoli. "IBM's software offers tools to monitor and manage power usage, and together with Johnson Controls, we will be able to expand on our data center management capabilities to include facility management in order to provide customers with a holistic view of energy consumption and its potential impact on their businesses."
On the Web:
www.johnsoncontrols.com
www.ibm.com/tivoli