Product News: Schneider Electric & IT distributors provide UPS “as a Service”

Schneider Electric announced support for IT distribution partners combining APC Smart-UPS solutions with monitoring/dispatch services to create their own “as a service” offer for their customers. This offer will enable IT solution providers to deliver better visibility and proactive maintenance across their customers’ dispersed UPS systems, lower that customer’s operational costs, and increase their own recurring revenue streams, per Schneider.

This UPS as a Service offer provides a way to support back-up power needs, especially at the edge for network connectivity, compute, or storage, with predictable lower costs and relief for IT staff.

Schneider claims that UPS as a Service will provide end users peace of mind, advanced monitoring tools, and complete product protection for a convenient monthly fee. The solution may include:

• APC Smart-UPS single-phase UPS models ranging from 0.75 to 3kVA with preinstalled network management cards for secure, remote monitoring
• EcoStruxure IT monitoring software synthesizes performance and notification data from the UPS into proactive recommendations to enable secure, wherever-you-go visibility
• Monitoring/dispatch services that offer 24/7 support to minimize business interruptions
• Flexible contract length options (three and five years) and terms

“When software and services come together to benefit customers, our partners are able to better meet changing business needs, while opening new opportunities and new revenues models to grow their businesses during this challenging time,” said Shannon Sbar, vice president of channels, North America, Schneider Electric. “By empowering our IT distribution partners to develop a UPS as a Service solution, we’re helping them bring new value to IT solution providers with new recurring revenue streams and more touch points across the UPS lifecycle to build stronger relationships with their customers.”

Recurring revenue for Managed Service Providers

Developing a UPS as a Service offer also increases the predictability of an IT solution provider’s cash flow by expanding service capabilities and providing recurring-revenue streams with supporting customer financing, notes Schneider. The solution is based on a flexible, modular approach which allows IT solution providers to consider how much control the customer needs and helps them choose the level of monitoring/dispatch services that are right for their business.