Netshield SA, an electronic research and development house, has developed an environmental management unit that is made for local conditions.
The expandable 2U rack-mountable Netshield Neviromon comes with its own battery backup. It monitors all environmental factors that can adversely impact server and networking equipment operation and then alerts key personnel to the problem, says the company.
It builds on Netshield`s network management, surge protection and wireless communications expertise to incorporate a combination of SNMP-based management and GSM-based communication, says Netshield.
According to Netshield MD Inus Dreckmeyr, the unit monitors the identity of individuals entering and leaving sensitive areas of the network site, such as the server room.
Sensors, which can be placed in any strategic area, provide for smoke detection and monitor the temperature and moisture levels, using flood sensors under the floor and sensors on each air conditioning unit. They can also be used to detect the presence of flammable and dangerous gases or abnormal vibration levels of sensitive equipment, he says.
According to Dreckmeyr, should anything untoward be detected, particularly if it falls outside predetermined acceptable parameters - such as unauthorised access to the server room, a rise in temperature or moisture levels, or a power outage or surge - an alert is sent via GSM or SNMP trap to the cellphone of the first name on an escalated response list.
If that individual does not receive the alert or acknowledge receipt of it, he explains, the alert is automatically escalated to the next name on the list until a response is received.
"In this way, management can monitor more than just fault occurrence. They can also see how the fault was dealt with, by whom and how quickly," he says.
Authorised managers and administrators can adjust the parameters at which alerts should be sent, as well as the list of respondents to those alerts, at any time via the Internet.
"The importance of environmental monitoring within a sensitive infrastructure setting has long been acknowledged. However, because of the speed at which damage can occur as a result of excessive heat or moisture, simply monitoring the environment is not enough - something has to be done about it.
"The Netshield unit achieves this by integrating SNMP monitoring with GSM communications," Dreckmeyr concludes.
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