The magazine of Friedhelm Loh Group

The magazine of Friedhelm Loh Group

Trend 05
Innovation – Rittal

Customers expect turnkey solutions worldwide

Text Stefan Mutschler, Hans-Robert Koch ––– Photography

Another trend is the trade in solutions. “Customers aren’t just asking for products, they are increasingly looking for solutions – for edge data centres, for instance,” explains Markus Fischbach, Head of Strategic Alliances at Rittal. Edge data centres are decentralised IT systems that deliver computing power directly to the location where the data is generated. They are situated in the immediate vicinity of the data sources – which helps ensure exceptionally fast initial data processing – and are also linked to cloud data centres for downstream processing. The primary drivers of edge computing are the Internet of Things (IoT) and Industry 4.0.

It is crucial that edge systems can be implemented quickly and easily. The ideal scenario is for the manufacturer to supply a turnkey, ready-assembled system complete with cooling unit for plug-and-play connection to the power supply and network technology. Edge system operation should also be automated and largely maintenance-free so as to minimise running costs. This requires comprehensive monitoring that covers the power supply, cooling, fire detection and extinguishing. To safeguard the edge data centre from external influences, it can be established in a room-inroom environment or in a micro data center. A security room of this kind offers maximum protection in the event of fires or highly contaminated surroundings.

Marcus Fischbach

“Together with partners, Rittal offers a range of new plug-and-play IT solutions for edge data centres. These guarantee secure, efficient and powerful IT applications no matter where they are located – in factories, warehouses or offices.”


Marcus Fischbach
Head of Strategic Alliances at Rittal

Rittal IT partnerships – like those with ABB, HPE, Siemens and Atos

Strategic alliances with big-name international market leaders help leverage synergy effects in terms of knowledge sharing, market access and support for globally operating customers. Together, they can offer fully comprehensive IT solutions and wide-ranging services – from the right IT hardware to secure, efficient and scalable infrastructure.

EDGE – COMPLETE, FAST, WORLDWIDE

To ensure edge solutions can be supplied as a complete package, quickly and worldwide, Rittal has worked with other companies to establish a global network of partners. “Whether the customer is a hyperscaler, a colocation data centre or an enterprise – a finely coordinated network of partners ensures tailor- made turnkey solutions, preconfigured components, delivery and support,” says Fischbach. This partner network incorporates system integrators and resellers, global market-leading manufacturers and consulting companies such as ABB, HPE, Siemens and Atos. These partnerships make sure customers can get everything they need from one place. “The result is a predefined, standardised complete plugand- play edge solution that can be supplied, if required, ready to go and with additional active IT components and as-a-service elements. This safeguards the success of new, decentralised IT infrastructures and makes it easy to take the first steps in edge computing,” sums up Fischbach.


Spanning all phases of a data centre: The Rittal IT ecosystem

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