In our 2020 newsletter we reported in detail on the given requirements for a remote monitoring of UPS systems. As numerous support requests from end customers have since made clear to us, a great deal of capital has been and is being invested in the efficiency and data monitoring capabilities within data centre infrastructures in recent years; and yet, efforts to increase the value and expertise of in-house staff associated with such infrastructure has been comparatively non-existent!
As a result, there is a lack of skilled technical staff in the associated fields; this inadequacy of service staff is compounded by what seems to be a bias against committing the financial resources required for the implementation of in-depth training measures to allow existing staff to run these systems as needed.
In the course of 2020, this trend has been exacerbated by the pandemic
A modern UPS system has long since left behind it the days of being considered a simple "black box" - it is now a highly complex infrastructural concept which consists not only of the UPS, itself; it also functions in an expanded capacity as hub to numerous interconnections with the company's IT system. However, specialists who can provide the "double knowledge" required to service such a device - IT know-how and UPS battery know-how – are an increasingly rare breed.
An expanded evaluation of GENEREX’s incoming support requests has shown that end customers repeatedly request a "fully automatic monitoring service" from their UPS providers. Such requests are becoming increasingly standard, and where smaller UPS providers are unable to provide such services without dramatic changes to their business models, Chinese manufacturers are more than happy to step in; ultimately, end users are beginning to switch to often Chinese providers. End-customers accept that Chinese market participants prefer doing businesses directly, bypassing the traditional trade channels in which dealers and locally based electrical companies provide such intermediary services. This not only has a dramatic impact on business models throughout the supply chain, it also puts direct pressure on pricing structures. If, in addition, it is suggested to the end customer that Chinese direct suppliers also "take care of the service" from a distance, then offering at least an equivalent service will be crucial for the survival of the local UPS and UPS Service industry.
NEW from 2021: GENEREX Cloud Services – On-Site Services Offered – Direct Monitoring, through the End-User!
Since its conception, our Windows-based UNMS software has given all OEM partners and resellers the possibility to stay in contact with their customers and offer them comprehensive remote services - thanks to the "email trap" function, and the inclusion of teleservice in 2020, it has been possible to offer the service of remote monitoring, even without VPN or overt involvement of the customer's IT department. However, until now such services have required a UNMS-specific operating staff, which is particularly difficult for small companies.
With the cloud services we are now moving forward with industry requirements, step by step: From January 2022, your customers will be able to register their SNMP adapters and BACS systems in the GENEREX Cloud. After registration, they will be informed DIRECTLY via SMARTPHONE APP about general system status as well as individual alarms!
This will eliminate the need for our partners to operate a UNMS service team, themselves. The UNMS Cloud ensures the constant surveillance of qualifying devices at the customer's site and, in the event of an alarm, the end customer can immediately contact their vendors and request a service tag. The UNMS Cloud saves the most important data of the systems so that the cause of an alarm is available even without further contact to the end customer. With this service, GENEREX seeks to strengthen the local structures between its partners and the end customers on site, thus initiating a channel for direct dialogue between both parties. A customer who receives an alarm on his APP may require technical assistance; our partners are ready for this eventuality, and GENEREX takes care of monitoring and mediates the service request. By doing so, the comprehensive information needed to run a UNMS is not required, and the onus of providing for specially trained staff can thus be avoided by our partner. The customer, on the other hand, does not require any additional training measures and feels well looked-after with a modern mobile APP for his or her UPS or battery system.
As announced in the 2020 newsletter, we are now asking for your feedback: Do you want to offer your end customers your own remote monitoring services via UNMS or some alternative monitoring concepts? YES/NO
YES: Our business model is B2B ("Business to Business") and any partner who can offer a 24/7 service with a UNMS does not need the GENEREX UNMS Cloud services. In this case, should your customer ask us directly, we would redirect their request directly to your own representatives and withhold the login to the UNMS Cloud and the use of the APP. The devices will be delivered preconfigured by our partners (CS141 / BACS / SITEMANAGER / SITEMONITOR) and can only run with your own UNMS service (e.g. email trap address).
NO: In case we do not receive a rejection from you, we will pre-configure all devices to be delivered to you from December 2021 to allow for the transmission of associated data to our UNMS Cloud, and customers will be able have the measured values and alarms transmitted via the associated APP. In accordance with DSVGO, the end customer must then agree to access our UNMS Cloud Server in order to transmit UPS and battery data to his mobile phone via MMQT protocol (Message Queuing Telemetry Transport). Note: This new standard will be used in all GENEREX products in the future; the UNMS Cloud is the first application in which this will be implemented. GENEREX only provides the service of communication with the end device and the end customer's APP—the maintenance business remains with the provider of such maintenance services.
