The category reached new heights, offering intelligence and analytics
What’s new in power? Everything! Here are six trends that benefit the end-user with greater reliability and lower total cost of ownership.
1. Network Migration
Power solutions are no longer static commodity products. They’ve evolved into intelligent networking and management appliances capable of providing detailed analytics and data that aid the end-user in continued uptime and ongoing connectivity. For example, network communications modules with intuitive software and easy to use interfaces, provide predictive analysis, history reports and documentation that keeps solutions healthy and viable for the long haul.
2. Predictive Analysis
Wouldn’t it be great if an end-user knew, ahead of time, of impending lock failure or battery fatigue –offering the ability to replace components in a timely manner and maintain system uptime? It’s possible today with proactive power system management and predictive analysis data from networked components. For the end user, being able to budget for new products and services is also a big benefit, as upgrades and new hardware specifications can be figured into monthly operating expenses. With intuitive software and easy user interfaces, end users have at their disposable some of the best predictive tools available.
3. Remote Serviceability
Remote power networking is part of a bigger solution. When integrators don’t have to roll a truck to a site for a system reboot or other servicing issue, that’s a big savings to both installer and end-user customer. Not only is there an ongoing cost savings to the integration business, but the user is assured of greater uptime, connectivity and the possibility of avoiding a major business disruption. Many times a simple system reboot or battery test can be accomplished off-site quickly before any real issues or challenges arise. In addition, ongoing health reports provide a comprehensive history of power activity and proactive statistics on real-time, ongoing system status. Giving customers better service and greater peace of mind is also an end result.
4. Enterprise Lower Total Cost of Ownership
In vast, connected enterprises and campuses, any down time to a system solution can be devastating, costly and unwieldy. As the internet of Things continues to proliferate and 6.4 billion devices are connected to the internet daily, systems solutions will become increasingly co-dependent with all networked parts of the facility, including building automation/management, HVAC and security. Solutions protected properly with intelligent network monitoring ultimately bring more efficient processing and analysis of data, so end users can leverage information to detect risks proactively, react to situations in real time and stay ahead of a potential compromise while also increasing the overall efficiency of deployed safety and security measures. This results in a lower total cost of ownership and more efficient operations and business processes.
5. Cyber Security Enhanced
Everything that rides on the network must be protected from data theft or compromise. Cyber security is the industry’s next challenge and opportunity, and power solutions riding on the network are being created with hardened postures in communications designed to prevent surreptitious takeover. Testing and certifications which validate inherent safeguards in network communications products need to be established and followed. System interfaces, instrumentation and infrastructure safeguards should be designed from the ground up to prevent attacks to networked solutions.
6. Critical Data for Optimizing Solutions
Data and analytics are no longer reserved for video surveillance streams. In fact, every device on the network is capable of yielding important information to the end-user, when designed in an easy-to-use and interpret interface. With server-based systems, users have access to data over time that can be charted to see a trend analysis, making the data useful and highly interactive. Data that simply reports baselines with no history or predictive monitoring isn’t smart or intelligent and ultimately does nothing to better protect the enterprise.