Company powers big data Posted on : May 24 - 2015

“I thought the cost of electricity in Singapore is expensive, until I came here [to the Philippines],” says Yam Hong, the business development manager of Schneider Electric, in a news briefing at Intercontinental Hotel in Makati City.

Schneider Electric business development manager Yam Hong

Hong, who is based in Singapore, visited the Philippines to lead the launching of Schneider Electric Galaxy VMS, the company’s latest uninterruptible power supply product, which he says, can help large companies save on energy and avoid information losses in the age of big data.

Big data refer to high volume of information produced, managed and protected by companies which they need to store for future access.  Hong says his company, Schneider Electric, is a major player in protecting data centers, the facilities designed to handle big data.

Schneider Electric is a global specialist in energy management and automation, with operations in more than 100 countries, including the Philippines.  UPS is a power system that ensures that computer networks remain online and running despite power outage or fluctuation.

“Today, everything is digitized, causing massive changes and underpinning these are data centers,” says Hong.  He says most data centers need to be accessible 24 hours a day, a function of information technology and stable power supply.

Doy Santos, the company’s country IT business unit head, says power represents a large portion of corporate expenses, especially in the Philippines.

“The Philippines has the highest power rate in Asia-Pacific, particularly in residential [sector].  In commercial, it is the second highest next to Japan,” Santos says.

More than the cost of electricity, companies need a reliable supply of electricity, he says.  Santos says a two-hour blackout in Singapore Exchange Ltd. on Nov. 4, 2014 resulted in billions of dollars in opportunity loss.

“The risk to downtime really has a serious business cost,” says Santos.  “You have to protect the assets particularly the data centers.” View more