Introduces web-based applications that simplify the datacentre decision making process.

APC by Schneider Electric, a provider of integrated critical power and cooling services, today announced the debut of APC TradeOff Tools, new Web-based applications with easy-to-use interfaces designed for use in the early stages of datacentre concept and design development. By enabling datacentre professionals to experiment with various scenarios regarding virtualization, efficiency, power sizing, capital costs, and other key design issues, the company states that APC TradeOff Tools break down major datacentre planning decisions into a series of smaller, more manageable decisions. Use of these tools helps validate, through modelling, the overall design of a datacentre, it adds.

The company avers that its Data Center Science Center designed the APC TradeOff Tools. Its claims that its team of engineers and analysts researches datacentre issues and helps develop design and learning tools that assist datacentre professionals in managing their datacentres.

"Customers need to make many key decisions during any datacentre project, and they do not always have the necessary information to guide them," said Carl Cottuli, vice president of APC's Data Center Science Center.  "Many of their concerns are not addressed by configuration tools because they occur early in the concept selection process. With the introduction of APC's TradeOff Tools, when a roadblock arises, the data centre decision maker can easily find a tool to deal with their specific issue, get a quick answer, and continue on in the concept selection process."