SAP is lending weight to its commitment to support and engender a culture of sustainability by hosting its first SAP Sustainability Summit in South Africa on 23 March at Montecasino in Johannesburg.

Schneider Electric has announced the debut of its EcoStruxure solution architecture, an approach which unites its unique expertise in power, data centres, process and machines, building control and physical security to enable intelligent energy management solutions for customers seeking to optimise energy efficiencies across multiple domains of their business.

Steiner Hygiene, the supplier of hygiene rental equipment and related service, to a wide spectrum of businesses and institutions across all industries throughout South Africa, has contracted battery manufacturer Uniross to supply Uniross batteries for use inside their dispensers.

Complementing its recent acquisition of the Dell brand of server, storage, desktop PC and notebook hardware, Tarsus Technologies has announced the local availability of Dell’s range of uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) and power distribution units.

Powermode has announced that its families of Q-on branded uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems are fully RoHS (Restriction of Use of Hazardous Substances) compliant.

Schneider Electric offers medium voltage distribution solutions to enhance electrical power dependability on distribution networks.

Irrespective of people's stance on the climate change debate, there is no getting around the fact that the green agenda is one that companies of all sizes can no longer ignore.

South African companies are bracing themselves for the distinct possibility of a 33% hike in electricity costs which could have a significant impact on bottom line profitability, says Philip Hampton, chief technology officer at Powermode.

The problems of South Africa's national power utility are well known, however in the last year or so many organisations have been lulled into a false sense of security as load shedding and rolling blackouts are no longer publicised and thus seem to be a thing of the past, writes Robert Brandt, APC product specialist at Drive Control Corporation.

Gary Jameson, country manager: South Africa at Eaton Power Quality, says uninterruptible power supply (UPS) devices have long been considered an integral part of any electronics equipment installation, especially computers. Their main function is to ensure the quality and continuity of electricity, hence regulating the power to one's critical load, while providing protection against supply irregularities, surges, and lightning. Back-up during blackouts (power failures) is yet another important function.

With many organisations deferring major IT deployments due to the global recession, it is the ideal time for CFOs to undertake efforts to reduce energy costs. So says Neil Rasmussen, senior vice president: Innovation at APC by Schneider Electric.

In this age of critical computing systems and the Internet, business continuity requires that you protect your infrastructure from all the hidden threats of the typical facility environment.