server room monitoring business continuity

Server room monitoring

Boosting business continuity

Ensuring your IT systems work efficiently
and effectively


Real-time monitoring to give you peace of mind

Business premises require effective server room monitoring systems to make sure that all of the support systems are running efficiently. Early warnings of potential issues are essential to ensure that the business can operate both efficiently and effectively.

IT Assets often reside in small enclosed spaces.  Monitoring these spaces assists in providing constant uptime for organisations.

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Monitor a range of factors

We can offer an active, scalable monitoring solution designed to protect against physical threats, environmental or human, that can cause disruption to IT assets. This ensures business continuity by monitoring and protecting IT assets from
environmental hazards or human error.

By having immediate detection of any issues IT downtime is minimised as it will prevent an outage or enable a rapid response. Problems are therefore solved before they become catastrophic. 

Power monitoring

Power failure resulting in network downtime can cost businesses substantial sums in revenue; in addition, data lost during those power failures is often not recoverable. Installing a  UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) appliance can prevent this happening.

Most UPS devices have the capability to house network cards that can report on information that is relevant to the integrity of the system, such as battery condition, run-time remaining, load levels, input voltage etc. In addition to this, environmental parameters such as room temperature and humidity can also be measured and reported on.

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How we help you choose the right monitoring solutions

If  you want to ensure that your existing monitoring infrastructure is meeting your current needs Security Group can provide a full server room audit. Our experienced highly qualified engineers will attend your site to carry out the thorough inspection to ensure that you have the right monitoring systems for your business.

What will the audit cover?

If any Power Monitoring is installed

What security you currently have in place

Whether you have any fire detection in place

What fire fighting equipment is available

Hardware installed including switches, servers and storage devices

The peak electrical load required by the equipment installed

Checking the age and capacity of your existing UPS equipment

The condition of your comms room

The temperature of your comms room

Air conditioning equipment

Following the visit we will provide a full written report including:

  • A diagram of the room layout
  • An outline of our findings, supported by photographs
  • Recommendations on where we can see any improvements that can be made

Our team are always happy to offer help and advice regarding the upkeep of your comms room and regularly post information on our blog on the culture of common threats to your IT network.

Our Real-time monitoring partner

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APC Netbotz

APC NetBotz devices from Schneider Electric, offer an ideal solution if you would like to monitor your IT spaces.

Appliances can operate independently or as part of an enterprise management solution. With the installation of products, the IT staff can now monitor the computer room, whether at their desk or working from home. Units can also been configured to alert technical support staff of potential issues via email, SMS or via SNMP. This in turn allows any problems to be fixed before they affect system availability in any way. We can guarantee a far higher level of service for IT support departments that can now react to problems more quickly and efficiently.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do I need to monitor my server room or IT spaces?

Business premises require effective real-time monitoring systems to make sure that all of the support systems are running efficiently. Early warnings of potential issues are essential to ensure that the business can operate both efficiently and effectively

Is it really necessary to monitor my server room?

With the development of the cloud for data storage there are now more large data centres filled with servers.
However, the remote sites and smaller comms rooms are the places that really benefit from server room monitoring and should not be ignored.

How can Security Group help me with server room monitoring?

Our senior staff are specialists in the solutions from APC NetBotz and would recommend its products for effective server room monitoring. Their appliances offer an active, scalable monitoring solution designed to protect against physical threats, environmental or human, that can cause disruption to IT assets. .

How could a server room audit help me?

If you want to ensure that your existing monitoring infrastructure is meeting your current needs Ecl-ips can provide a full server room audit. Our experienced highly qualified engineers will attend your site to carry out the thorough inspection to ensure that you have the right monitoring systems for your business. We will provide you with a written report that will recommend the right monitoring solutions for you. Contact us now if you would like to discuss this.

What will the APC Netbotz devices monitor?

The APC Netbotz devices can monitor environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, smoke and fluid. Sensors can also detect access to IT racks to enable monitoring of people.

Who manufactures APC Netbotz appliances?

The company Netbotz was founded in 1999, by a private group of individuals and investors in Austin, Texas. Netbotz Inc. was a privately-held company and was a provider of web-based monitoring solutions that closed the gap between traditional physical security and cyber-security.
Netbotz developed environmental monitoring appliances and its web-based physical infrastructure management platform, Netbotz Central to provide physical and environmental monitoring of data centes, comms and server rooms. The company also developed a range of sensors to detect environmental factors like temperature changes, water leaks, power fluctuations and humidity.
In 2005 APC, which had been founded in 1981 and had developed a range of power management appliances, bought Netbotz for $31 million. At the time of the sale Netbotz said over 2,700 organizations worldwide used its solutions for active monitoring, early detection and instant alerts to protect critical assets from damaging physical and environmental conditions. Just two years later, in 2007, APC itself was taken over by European multinational, Schneider Electric, which had global recognition for its expertise in energy management and automation.
Over the years the main developments have been the expansion of the number of types of Netbotz monitors, the introduction of wireless sensors and the expansion of Netbotz Central to become Schneider Electric’s Data Center Expert software.

What is the benefit of installing APC Netbotz devices?

You can group the Netbotz appliances together and offer a completely scalable solution. As the software is installed through a web browser it is easy to set up and use.
APC Netbotz monitoring appliances offer flexibility and the alerting mechanism can be escalated in various ways. You can use it to monitor third party devices such as air conditioning units, UPS devices, tank flow levels, leak detection and many other third-party sensors.
The IT equipment in comms rooms work best if they are kept at a constant temperature and ideally you want to increase the set points for that temperature so that the air conditioning units are not working too hard to retain that level. In an inefficient system the air conditioning unit is likely to be switching on and off constantly as it works to maintain a temperature but if the system is working efficiently you save the energy as the air conditioning units can have a higher set point. By monitoring temperature, you will be able to manage your energy use and boost your energy efficiency, which will save you money over time.
The Netbotz 250 is the entry level appliance for businesses, which although it does not have a camera still offers a comprehensive and flexible solution and is ideal for organisations with a single comms room that has a good access control system so that people going in and out are still monitored.

What organisations will benefit form server room monitoring?

Server room monitoring will benefit organisations in the education, finance, healthcare, banking and insurance sectors as well as businesses with multiple branches such as pharmacies that may have one remote IT team. 

Where does Security Group operate?

Security Group operates across south-west England and into South Wales. We have clients across this region including in Bristol, Bath and in other towns in Somerset and Wiltshire. Our address is 2530 Aztec West, Ground Floor, Aztec West, Almondsbury, BS32 4AW and we can be contacted by telephone: 0117 914 1180 or by email: info@securitygroupltd.co.uk. If you are outside this area and are interested in server room monitoring then take a look at the website of our parent company, Ecl-ips.