Power: More than electricity

The push to make the edge of the network more intelligent is taking on a new dimension at Emerson Network Power, where the company's acquisition of Motorola's embedded computing division has enabled server and storage device capability to be part of the power picture.

This week at NXTcomm08, Emerson is displaying, for the first time, the integrated capabilities of its self-contained cabinets and shelters that do more than provide electrical power.

“Applications have become more demanding, and telecom providers are putting more sophisticated gear out at the edge of the network,” said David Gerhart, vice president of business development and planning for Emerson. “In other parts of the world, it is happening even faster than it is here in the U.S. It may be a cell phone tower with a shelter at the bottom of it or a fiber switch house in the outside plant. There are specific applications that are stored that are used on cell phones or BlackBerrys, so operators are building these shelters and containers for power and for computing devices.”

What once was deployed in a brick and mortar building now is part of a shelter that can range in size from 6-foot by 6-foot cabinets to walk-in shelters as large as 20 meters by 60 meters, Gerhart said. For speed of deployment, Emerson pre-engineers the smaller cabinets so they can be shipped, deployed and turned up quickly, he added. Larger shelters are shipped in separate parts and assembled onsite.

“It's all about speed of deployment,” Gerhart said. “The idea is to be able to pre-engineer the systems and be ready to ship and deploy as needed by the service provider.”