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Rittal joins Open19 Foundation

Rittal is a driver of standardised open rack technology.


Johannesburg, 21 Jul 2017

Over 3% of global electricity output is currently expended on data centres - one of the fastest-growing consumers of power today. This development is being countered by the recently founded Open19 Foundation, with a new concept: standardised, modular IT infrastructures ensure higher efficiency, reduced costs, and greater flexibility in the data centre. Rittal is now a member of the foundation to push the innovative approach forward, together with other representatives.

Rittal, the largest rack producer in the world, has joined the Open19 Foundation. Driven by the Microsoft subsidiary LinkedIn and global vendors, such as HPE and GE Digital, it was launched in May 2017 with the aim of making data centres more cost-effective, more efficient and more flexible. The open source design is based on a standardised architecture for computer and storage components in a standard 19-inch rack, in which the components from different manufacturers are compatible with each other.

"Because of the rising energy costs, we use all possibilities for more energy efficiency in favour of our customers. Underlining this, we have joined the Open19 Foundation in which we help shaping innovative rack design," says Jason Rylands, Global Director, Data Center and Open Compute Solutions at Rittal.

"The Open19 Foundation is a fast-growing community of companies across a wide range of data centre and edge ecosystems. We are very pleased that Rittal, as a key actor and global player in the market, is now a member of the Open19 Foundation," said Yuval Bachar, who chairs the Open19 Foundation.

Standardised design at less cost

As the newest member of the Open19 community, Rittal offers an inexpensive and quickly applicable solution in the form of an Open19 rack based on the standard 19-inch rack. In addition, the system vendor will support the Open19 ecosystem through being a member and promote innovations both for existing data centres and for changing customer requirements.

"As a member of the Open19 Foundation, Rittal is now even better positioned to meet the needs of the data centre market. These include the growing number of hyperscalers, colocation providers, as well as telecommunications convergence and edge computing," Rylands added.

Standardisation for shorter time-to-market

One advantage of the innovative Open19 architecture is the use of direct current to supply the servers. The electricity is distributed via a special cable harness connected to the power shelves.

The DC power supply ensures energy efficiency. The standardised, modular configuration cuts the time-to-market while the scalability enhances the flexibility in the data centre.

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Rittal

Rittal, headquartered in Herborn, Germany, is a leading global provider of solutions for industrial enclosures, power distribution, climate control and IT infrastructure, as well as software and services. System solutions from Rittal can be found in more than 90% of all global branches of industry, including mechanical and plant engineering, the food and luxury goods industry, as well as in the IT and telecommunications sector.

The wide range of products from the global market leader includes configurable enclosures, whose data is available throughout the entire production process. Intelligent Rittal cooling solutions, with up to 75% lower energy and CO2 consumption requirements, can communicate with the production environment and enable predictive maintenance and service concepts. Innovative IT solutions ranging from the IT rack, the modular data centre and through to Edge and Hyperscale computing solutions all form part of the portfolio.

Leading software providers Eplan and Cideon complement the value chain, providing interdisciplinary engineering solutions, while Rittal Automation Systems offer automation systems for switchgear construction. Rittal delivers in Germany within 24 hours - precisely as needed, flexibly and efficiently.

Founded in Herborn in 1961 and still run by its owner, Rittal is the largest company in the Friedhelm Loh Group. The Friedhelm Loh Group operates worldwide, with 18 production sites and 80 international subsidiaries. The entire group employs more than 11 300 people and generated revenues of around EUR2.2 billion in 2016. In 2017, it was named one of Germany's leading employers by the Top Employers Institute for the ninth year running. Within the scope of a Germany-wide survey, Focus Money magazine identified the Friedhelm Loh Group as one of the nation's best providers of vocational training in 2017.

For more information, visit www.rittal.com and www.friedhelm-loh-group.com.

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