NEC And Itron Power-Up Alliance To Serve The Energy Industry; New Fault Tolerant Solution Will Provide Increased Uptime For Utility Companies Worldwide
SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- NEC Solutions (America), Inc., a premier provider of integrated solutions for the Connected Enterprise in North America, today announced that it will partner with Itron Inc., the leading solutions provider of commercial and industrial energy and water metering solutions, to deliver fault tolerant solutions to the energy industry. The solution will combine NEC's Express5800/320Lb fault tolerant (FT) platform and Itron's MV-90 xi software, which is used by utility companies for collecting and processing the data from metering devices.
NEC's Fault Tolerant Platform is a server system that has up to 99.999 percent increased uptime, with no single point of failure, that helps to ensure the usage and billing data needed by Itron's electric, gas and water company customers need is always accessible and not lost. The revenue generated from the data collected by MV-90 comprises 40% of the North American electric market.
Spokane, Washington-based Itron supports 3,000 energy and water utilities in 63 countries in the collection and transformation of data into valuable knowledge to help them remain competitive in the utilities marketplace. Accuracy in usage measurement and billing processes is essential to the energy industry, and Itron wanted to ensure its customers could access their valuable data as needed.
"No one knows the importance of delivering service 24 hours a day, seven days a week better than the energy industry," said Larry Sheffield, executive vice president of the Solutions Platform Group for NEC Solutions America. "The combination of our Express5800/320Lb's four-way architecture with Itron's powerful MV-90 xi software solution will provide energy companies with the necessary uptime they need to manage the data that is critical to their metering and billing requirements."
"Itron's MV-90 software has long been the de facto industry standard for utilities' commercial and industrial data collection. Increasingly, we have customers requesting Fault Tolerance in their MV-90 xi processing systems," said James Whitfield, product manager for Itron's MV-90. "Through our partnership with NEC Solutions America, our customers will have access to an innovative and trusted technology solution that will ensure high availability of the tools that are important to their success."
MV-90 xi is Itron's latest interval data collection system built on a robust 32-bit architecture that offers a new, modern user interface with improved workflow that streamlines and improves the collection and management of critical data from commercial and industrial metering points.
"The combination of Windows(R) running on NEC FT servers in conjunction with MV-90, the utilities industry has the ideal solution for their high availability business needs," said Don Richardson, director manufacturing solutions for Microsoft(R) Corporation. "NEC's increased uptime coupled with the Windows platform can prevent the loss of valuable data and revenue allowing utility companies to focus on their most valuable asset -- its customers."
The NEC Express5800/320Lb provides up to 99.999 percent increased uptime and features 2 Intel(R) Xeon(R) processors. Based on Dual Modular Redundancy (DMR) design, the Express5800 FT server features redundant CPU modules that contain Hyper-Threading enabled Intel Xeon processors. In addition, it is available in either a (4U) form factor pedestal or rack design to enable redundant operation and higher uptime.
About Itron
Itron is a leading technology provider and critical source of knowledge to the global energy and water industries. Nearly 3,000 utilities worldwide rely on Itron's award-winning technology to provide the knowledge they require to optimize the delivery and use of energy and water. Itron creates value for its clients by providing industry-leading solutions for electricity metering; meter data collection; energy information management; demand response; load forecasting, analysis and consulting services; distribution system design and optimization; Web-based workforce automation; and enterprise and residential energy management. More information about Itron can be found at www.itron.com.
About NEC Solutions America
NEC Solutions (America), Inc. is a premier provider of integrated solutions for the Connected Enterprise in North America. As an affiliate of NEC Corporation (NASDAQ:NIPNY) (FTSE: 6701q.1), NEC Solutions America taps into a global resource network to help clients leverage technology to achieve a competitive edge. From corporate performance management and biometric security solutions to digital cinema and in-theatre advertising systems, visual displays and server solutions, the expertise is delivered with the personal attention needed to address individual situations. With headquarters in Rancho Cordova, California, NEC Solutions America serves a wide range of markets, including the health care and public safety, financial services, cinema, retail and manufacturing markets. Information regarding NEC Solutions America can be found at www.necsam.com.