Say “No” to Data Center Downtime by Sensing the Environmental Conditions in Business Facilities

AVTECH Software is a US company that produces sensors to monitor environmental conditions in computer rooms, data centers, and other facilities. Mr. Michael Sigourney, Founder and CEO of AVTECH, speaks to The Integrator on the significance of Room Alert products the company offers to enterprise customers.

Tell us about AVTECH and its Room Alert products

AVTECH is a 33-year-old company established in the US. Our Room Alert products monitor computer rooms, data centers, and other facilities for conditions such as temperature, humidity, power, flood, water leakage, smoke, fire, airflow, room entry, motion, and more. We have our devices installed in 187 of 196 countries. We have excellent market share in the US and Canada – opened our office in the UAE last year anticipating market opportunities across the GCC.

Elaborate on the functional and technical aspects of the devices and sensors you provide

The Room Alert devices have pre-installed operating systems inside and they can monitor the environmental conditions of facilities accurately. The devices connect to the network of enterprises via ethernet and can generate consistent monitoring, alerting, reporting, and more through bundled software and an online dashboard.

Michael Sigourney, CEO and Founder, AVTECH

With the devices built-in sensors and approved standards in the US, Europe, and elsewhere, these devices come in small, mid, and large sizes. The devices are configured with digital ports for live and real-time sensors. Their switch sensor ports allow non-voltage, two-wire sensors and can be connected with building management systems or other kinds of equipment to oversee status changes. Analog ports and relays are also available.

Explain why should enterprises choose environment sensor devices in their production units or data centers?

Enterprises must be aware that around 30 percent of their loss occurs from environmental challenges, including flood, heat, fire, and humidity. Most businesses would become conscious of installing sensors only after they face loss and damage and, by then, the loss could have happened beyond prediction and, in some cases, the entire business could reach the stage of closure.

If companies proactively install sensors, they could avoid such losses. Essentially, these devices help in reducing downtime and improving profit margins.

Excellent! Can you give us some insights into the pricing of Room Alert devices?

Our pricing is reasonable and it ranges from $195 to $1295 (USD). With a broad range, we provide devices which are quality-tested, sturdy, and cost-effective. We assure you these investments are worth it for any geography as these devices keep monitoring and sending alerts on the environmental conditions. These devices are made for challenging capacities except drowning in water and overpowering.

What is the life span of Room Alert devices and tell the range their sensors could handle?

Room Alert devices can live up to 10–15 years. However, we suggest an examination of devices every 3-5 years. These devices are hosted with digital sensors that can monitor the range of 100 feet away and switch sensors that can monitor 900 feet away. Signals are reliable only if wired sensors are kept within these mathematical limits.

Speak about how the monitoring takes place in the facility where these devices are installed

We offer free software and a web-based dashboard to customers and users, through which they can monitor each device and sensor and their working capacity. The web-based application enables users to interact individually and as groups too. Although we are yet to come up with a mobile app, our cloud-based solutions are quite sophisticated to handle the needs across all types of mobile devices.