December 30, 2010

AMRCON Manages Build-Out for Relocation of Large Trading Floor

SCS Commodities, the largest independent floor and OTC energy broker on the NY Mercantile Exchange, has trusted AMRCON to manage its IT support since 2008.  So, when executives at SCS decided to move to a larger space, they called upon AMRCON’s expertise to manage the build-out process of its IT infrastructure and data center solutions.

“There are so many issues that must be thoroughly examined when moving any business from one location to another,” said Dee Rudko, CEO of AMRCON.  “But, when you’re talking about moving the highly technical and sensitive aspects of a trading floor with no disruption in business, it is extremely complex.”  SCS is moving from a 6,000 square foot space to a 19,000 square foot space with 103 trading seats to accommodate the company’s current 65 traders and allow for future growth.

Luckily for SCS, Rudko and his partners at the Schneider Electric and American Power Conversion (APC) have handled the project management for many build-outs, with particular experience working with financial companies.  Preliminary planning for the SCS build-out began in November of 2009, and the first phase of the build-out just started mid-October.

To coordinate all the electrical and teledata needs for the new location, AMRCON called in Schneider Electric, the world leader in energy management.  Schneider Electric is well-known for working for high-end security companies like those in the financial, educational, and healthcare industries.  Joe Metcalfe at Schneider is managing the first phase of the build-out.

“We’ve just begun the demolition work on the floor,” said Metcalfe.  “We are pulling old wiring and beginning to set-up the electrical and teledata needs for all of the trading desks on the floor.  This process should take about six weeks, and then once the floors and walls get put into place, the project gets handed over to APC.”

APC, a subsidiary of Schneider Electric, is the industry leader in developing and building the physical infrastructure to support critical data needs.  On the SCS project, Andrew Conte of APC, is managing the data center design for the new trading floor.

“Once the electrical and teledata are ready, and the walls and floors are built, then we will come in and build the data center,” said Conte.  To support such a large trading floor, the data center itself will be quite big, requiring 800 square feet of space alone.  And, it will feature the latest in green technology to reduce energy waste and save money.

In terms of the green initiatives, the SCS data center will feature UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) technology developed by APC that will create 96% efficiency on a 36% load, compared to older technology that can only create 75% efficiency on a 36% load.  “So, SCS will realize huge energy savings on their power consumption,” said Conte.  “But, they’ll also be saving on the cooling side because we will install row and rack-based closed couple cooling.”

Row and rack-based closed couple cooling, invented by APC, enables a data center to receive the proper cooling it needs by cooling row by row rather than cooling an entire room.  “Energy is wasted when a room is over-cooled or under-cooled,” said Conte.  “With our unique cooling system, we will be dedicating the cooling to exactly where it is needed, thereby saving energy and reducing energy costs.  It is also scalable, which means that in the future if SCS finds it needs more capacity, we can always add it.  We call it, ‘pay as you grow’ technology,” said Conte.

“We anticipate a seamless move with absolutely zero downtime,” Rudko said.  The SCS build-out will continue through the rest of the year, with a projected move date of February, 2011.

December 22, 2009

Personal note for December 2009

 To go along with the Schneider Electric Intelligent Security Symposium featured on the main page this month, I had the distinct honor of meeting former Governor of PA and director of  Home Land Security, Tom Ridge. Tom was a guest speaker where he shared about the importance of working smarter through technology to protect and secure our country. The playing field has changed and we all need to take part in adapting. AMRCON is honored to be a part of the Schneider Electric group of partners to play a role in this modernization of municipalities, buildings and the rest of our surroundings through the deployment of smart technology. Look for future posts discussing the ongoing project AMRCON is taking on to further educate local municipalities. 

Ok so back to the personal note. What on earth happened to the year 2009? I thought it was going to be around a little longer. As I get older it seems the years go by faster, it doesn’t seem fair. Did you know an average ant only lives 90 days? They must really feel cheated! Thank God the average life expectancy in the US is 78-80. According to my plans I still don’t know if it will be enough time. There are places in the world to stay away from that have life expectancies as low as 40, we need to pray for them! Canada, parts of Europe and Australia are all over 80 in case you’re planning to move. So why these thoughts?

In recent weeks I’ve been affected with various emotions that left me reminded how precious life is. As we get closer to the holidays, life continues to move faster and faster. It’s a fitting time of year to take a second and look around, enjoy the people we have around us. Try to slow life down for just a second and enjoy it. I have much to be thankful for. My wife and my little guys over to the right to name a few. They always seem to have the power to slow me down and get me to remember what it’s all really about. Too bad Deeko really wasn’t about sitting with Santa!

From myself and everyone at AMRCON, we want to wish everyone a Happy Holiday Season and a Happy and Prosperous New Year! –Dee Rudko

December 7, 2009

AMRCON Gets in on the Ground Level – Schneider Electric

AMRCON’s  partnership with Schneider Electric integrates data center technology with all aspects of building management to create
“smart buildings.”

 Twenty years ago, just as personal computers were making their presence known, no one could have imagined how intertwined the human and the digital world would become. 

But now a new digital process debuts almost daily, transforming everything we touch and making the pre-Internet world a distant memory. 

 The latest digital revolution is “smart building technology,” which uses Internet Protocol to marry all activities within a building’s environment.  And at AMRCON, our partnership with industry leader Schneider Electric brings smart building technology to your doorstep. 

 “In today’s digital world, data centers are not simply operating workstations inside a building – they are running the building from the ground up,” says Dee Rudko, CEO of AMRCON, who is spearheading the company’s smart building offerings.  “The best way to reduce costs, decrease energy consumption, and provide a highly secure and efficient work environment is to integrate all of a building’s network systems, security monitoring and power systems.”  

 To make a building “smart,” AMRCON and Schneider Electric utilize a comprehensive energy auditing process to determine the building’s energy output and efficiency pitfalls.  “We then customize and install a data center to monitor and maintain all building systems, including lighting, heating, air conditioning, security monitoring, computer networks, communication systems, and fire detection,” Dee adds. 

 Prior to smart building technology, all systems within a building were constructed and maintained separately.  The systems did not talk to one another and there was no process to monitor energy usage.  Lights were only turned off when a person flicked the switch.  Heat and air conditioning ran constantly in all rooms and offices, whether or not people were in those areas.  But with smart building technology, the data center operates motion sensors and, to reduce costs and conserve energy, will shut down the lights or heat when it senses that nobody is in the room.

 Smart buildings are also safer for its occupants than older buildings.  Outdated security systems involved sporadically placed cameras and a video recording process.  But in today’s age of heightened security, the highly sophisticated digital monitoring technology is able to detect building breeches and protect the building’s occupants with a much higher rate of success.

 “Our experience in data center technology and our partnership with the energy experts at Schneider Electric make us uniquely qualified to consult with our clients on this exciting new technology,” Dee says. 

 For more information about “smart building” technology, or to see if AMRCON can turn your building into a smart one, feel free to give Dee a call. 

Take a look at Schneider’s web space for Smart Building tech.