Raising the Bar for Resiliency in Hybrid IT
As hybrid IT becomes the default operating model for organizations, data centers face increasing complexity. Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure IT portfolio is evolving to help customers build IT infrastructure that is more resilient, secure, and sustainable. The improvements announced for on-premise and cloud-based DCIM solutions are designed to simplify operations, reduce downtime, and enable faster, safer technology rollouts across distributed environments.
Key Enhancements that Improve Resilience
New alarm threshold policies in IT Expert allow operators to tailor alerts with greater precision. For example, a policy can trigger an alarm only if the temperature remains 25 degrees above normal for more than 30 minutes. This targeted approach reduces alert fatigue, speeds incident response, and helps maintain steady operations during peak workloads or unusual events.
The Service Contracts and Visits widget on the IT Expert dashboard provides a weekly refreshed snapshot of device status and contract coverage. This visibility helps teams prioritize maintenance, minimize unplanned outages, and align procurement with operational risk management.
PowerChute enhancements, including Windows Event Logging and central Syslog support, improve monitoring at scale. Centralized logs simplify forensic analysis and enable larger enterprises to aggregate events across multiple sites into a single view, boosting overall resilience through faster issue identification.
Extended PowerChute vCLS support now covers all UPS configurations, increasing flexibility for graceful shutdowns in clusters where not every host needs to be powered down simultaneously. This nuance is critical for maintaining service continuity during maintenance windows or partial outages.
LDAP integration on the Network Management Card (NMC) enables secure remote user authentication via established directories such as Microsoft Active Directory and OpenLDAP. This strengthens access control, reduces credential sprawl, and supports compliant operations in regulated environments.
Remote Command Execution via SSH for PowerChute Network Shutdown enables coordinated, graceful shutdowns of storage arrays and other critical systems. Centralized, automated shutdown workflows minimize data loss and reduce the risk of human error during incident response or maintenance.
Consolidated Syslog management for Data Centre Expert simplifies system-level logging, giving operators a clearer, single pane of glass for alerting and analytics. Streamlined logging workflows contribute to faster mean time to recovery (MTTR) during incidents.
Strengthening Cybersecurity Across the DCIM Stack
Security remains a top priority as environments scale and predators become more sophisticated. Schneider Electric has introduced several cybersecurity enhancements to protect data center assets while simplifying update and management processes.
- Mass Configuration in IT Expert lets administrators update IDs and passwords across devices remotely from the cloud, dramatically reducing manual configuration effort and the window for misconfigurations.
- Secure Protocol in Data Centre Expert upgrades device-to-DCE communications to SNMPv3, delivering stronger authentication and encryption with minimal user intervention.
- IEC 62443-4-2 Security Level 2 certification for EcoStruxure IT NMC Platform solidifies cybersecurity maturity for the DCIM stack, underscoring a robust security baseline for critical infrastructure.
- ISASecure SDLA compliance validates secure development practices, ensuring that software updates and new features meet stringent lifecycle assurance standards.
- EcoStruxure IT Secure NMC System (SNS) offers faster firmware management, enabling researchers and operators to find and install the latest firmware up to 90% quicker than before.
Automated, Actionable Sustainability Reporting
A landmark advancement in 2024 was the introduction of model-based, automated sustainability reporting across EcoStruxure IT. The new features empower organizations to quantify and report sustainability metrics at the click of a button, transforming data into actionable insights. These capabilities reduce manual workload, improve accuracy, and help data centers align with environmental goals and regulatory expectations.
EcoStruxure IT Sustainability Lead Alison Matte highlighted that sustainability is about reducing energy consumption, trimming costs, and cutting waste within data centers—while maintaining performance. The company’s Green IT initiatives informed new reporting metrics that are both user-friendly and comprehensive, enabling stakeholders to track progress and drive continuous improvement.
Looking Ahead: Resilience, Security and Sustainability in a Complex Hybrid World
As AI and machine learning begin to reshape data center operations, the EcoStruxure IT team intends to extend capabilities that simplify management, accelerate decision-making, and improve outcomes for hybrid IT environments. The core focus remains clear: deliver the most resilient, secure, and sustainable IT infrastructure anywhere.
Why It Matters
For enterprises navigating hybrid IT, the ability to monitor, secure, and optimize IT assets in real time is no longer optional—it is essential. The ongoing enhancements to EcoStruxure IT address real-world challenges, from reducing alarm noise to enabling faster, safer changes across networks and facilities. This holistic approach not only protects critical operations but also drives sustainable growth by lowering energy use, waste, and operational cost.
