APC says cash in on power struggle

IT managers being forced to be more responsible

The cost of electricity is soaring

Resellers could profit from the power struggle taking place in many corporations, power management vendor APC claimed last week.

As the cost and use of electricity accelerates, IT managers are being forced to take responsibility for power management, according to the company.

In response, the vendor has announced a new raft of partner programmes enabling resellers to help embattled IT managers.
According to Franceso Quero, APC’s director of channels, 60 per cent of IT managers are now lumbered with managing the power bill.

The total available market for power management systems is $22bn (£13.5bn), claimed Quero.
“The stakes are higher than ever,” he said. “But the initial investment can be just a few hours of web
training.”

Differentiation comes as resellers move themselves up the value chain. At the bottom of the hierarchy, registered partners will have 10 hours of web training under their belt.

Select and then Premier partners will have to add progressively more training, with top-level Elite partners required to invest in three days’ worth of training.
APC said it will help resellers devise marketing campaigns and tools that can be re-badged with the reseller’s brand.
Power management is a lot more complicated than selling a glorified battery to a company, said Quocirca service director Clive Longbottom.

“The problem is that uninterruptible power supplies (UPSs) are very complex. A bad one will really mess you up,” he said.
By launching free tools for datacentre managers to use for ‘what if’ exercises, APC has removed some of the mystery, he added.

“The use of power conditioning and management systems in a datacentre needs to be far easier,” he said.
There is plenty of scope for resellers to add value. “Things are moving in this direction, but there is a lot further to go.”