Schneider Electric Expands Agreement With Equinix to Germany and Italy

Global energy management specialist Schneider Electric has expanded a global agreement to help colocation provider Equinix manage its energy use. The agreement now includes Equinix locations in Germany and Italy.

Schneider Electric will provide its Energy Management Procurement Services (EMPS) and sustainability services to the data center giant. The addition of Germany and Italy to the agreement means that Schneider Electric provides its full range EMPS services to 110 Equinix facilities around the globe.

The partnership has saved Equinix $11 million since March of 2011, according to Schneider Electric.

“Schneider Electric is the first data center provider with the ability to work with our customers on both the supply and demand side of the energy equation,” said Steve Wilhite, Senior Vice President, Professional Services, Schneider Electric.  “By working with a global client like Equinix, we saw the opportunity to offer new approaches to energy procurement which would be able to provide their company significant cost savings, in this case millions of dollars.”

Schneider Electric is providing Equinix with a range of services. It’s giving Equinix a more a flexible approach to energy buying with full service energy management and procurement capabilities, utility bill management, comprehensive Green House Gas emissions reporter, annual budgeting and risk management services, electric variance reporting and access to Schneider Electric’s Resource Advisor energy management platform.

Schneider Electric raises a very interesting paradox in IT today: despite exponentially rising demand for faster, more complex data center services, there is increasingly intense public pressure to operate highly efficient and sustainable facilities. Data centers and data center needs are growing, and businesses are asking how they will sustainably and affordably power these growing needs. Schneider Electric believes the keys to solving this dilemma and achieving complete and profitable sustainability are intelligence, efficiency and integration.