Schneider Electric has teamed up with Scale Computing to develop a better edge computing platform for retailers. The outcome of the company’s partnership essentially takes Scale Computing’s HC3 Edge for retail solution and integrates it into Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure Micro Data Centres. 

Scale Computing’s HC3 platform has been designed to bring together virtualisation, servers, storage, and backup/disaster recovery into a single solution. For retailers, it provides a single platform to run applications across point of sale, building management, security applications, inventory management and asset management. 

Since its launch, the HC3 platform has been sold on the promise of its infinite scalability and the fact that it frees up the IT manager from doing the more mundane tasks associated with old implementations of virtualisation software. 

While the HC3 boasts simplicity and scalability, the partnership with Schneider Electric will give retailers a faster way of implementing the technology. That’s because the platform will be deployed in EcoStruxure Micro Data Centres, meaning IT managers don’t need to spend an age configuring the system or deploying it manually, making it an easy option for retailers who would rather not waste any time. 

“Today’s brick-and-mortar retailers are remaining competitive by investing heavily in edge computing solutions that transform the in-store buying experience into one that is simple and interactive,” said Jim Simonelli, senior vice president, Emerging Businesses, Schneider Electric Secure Power Division.

“Micro data centres are becoming retailers’ integrated solution of choice to support this new wave of applications that require data processing closer to the source. Delivering the Scale Computing HC3 Edge for retail in Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure Micro Data Centres will help retailers ensure their IT environments can support applications now and in the future.”

Schneider says there are four key advantages of using Scale Computing’s HC3 platform on its micro data centres:

• Fast to deploy: Retailers can quickly connect their web browsers to remote systems and manage storage and virtual machines from a single management interface, allowing updates to be handled remotely and ensuring timely deployment.
• Added security: Retailers can be assured their applications are secure with device-level cyber security with ultra-secure enclosure options and remote security monitoring and control.
• Standardisation: Standardised, pre-integrated and pre-validated architectures ensure the deployment is fast and cost-effective.
• Cost-effective: The HC3 Edge software does not include additional licensing costs, plus backup and recovery are also included.

Of course, those utilising Schneider’s Micro Data Centres will also be able to use the company’s next-generation DCIM, EcoStruxure IT. This provides remote monitoring capabilities and lower onsite servicing, and thanks to its cloud-based nature, offers advanced AI features to give actionable information on the health of the company’s IT equipment. 

“Scale Computing HC3 Edge for retail was developed to meet the variety of challenges retailers face when updating their edge and remote infrastructures,” said Jeff Ready, CEO, Scale Computing. 

“With the Scale Computing HC3 Edge deployed within Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure Micro Data Centres, retailers receive best-in-class capabilities to help them modernise their stores and enhance the customer experience.”