Schneider Electric partners with IT distributors for MPaaS programme

Schneider Electric has forged partnerships with Also, Ingram Micro and Tech Data to deliver its Managed Power as a Service (MPaaS) programme across the UK, the Netherlands, Germany and Austria.

MPaaS is an edge computing programme that combines the firm’s APC Smart-UPS uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) service with its monitoring and dispatch capabilities to help partners create their own as a service offer. This is offered alongside access to the EcoStruxure IT software and flexible finance options from the participating distributors.

Describing this launch as the first of its kind in the IT sector, the company claims MPaaS opens up more revenue streams for its partners, allowing them to reduce operational costs while adding more value to the services customers receive. This platform also increases recurring revenue streams through real-time remote monitoring and management services.

Schneider Electric previously launched the programme element of its landmark Managed Power Service (MPS) scheme in April 2021, which offered partners the tools to build their own MPS practices. Since then, approximately 140 partners have joined the scheme, vice president for IT channels in Europe, David Terry, told Channel Pro with these partners primed to take advantage of the distribution element the firm’s just announced.

“Managed power is probably a new term, and the ‘as a service’ tag is fairly new,” he said. “The market is huge, and growing, and depending in which geography you’re sitting you could be at a different maturity level,” Terry said.

“The global market is around about $160 billion for as a service, and when we look at managed power we have around about 27% of people offering managed power, so there’s a huge opportunity. What we’re looking to do, particularly in Europe, is get more people on board and more people offering this service as a whole.”

The three partner firms – Also, Ingram Micro and Tech Data – are among the company’s three largest IT distribution partners, and will grant Schneider Electric inroads into the four territories in which it’s launching MPaaS. The firm, however, is actively exploring partnering with further distributors to eventually launch the programme across the whole of Europe.

Launched in April, an MPS is a managed service that’s based on various aspects of managing IT infrastructure for edge computing, such as UPS. Dubbed the ‘Edge Software & Digital Services Programme’, its launch allowed IT companies to establish recurring revenues by offering remote monitoring and management of physical infrastructure across customer networks.

The programme comprises four elements including lifecycle rebates to offset initial setup costs, a step-by-step operational guide, certification paths, and access to Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure scheme. This includes 24/7 remote monitoring and on-site support.

This type of service is already available in the US, Terry said, with European entities yet to explore MPaaS in a meaningful way. COVID-19, he added, has accelerated digital investment, meaning he feels it’s the right time to launch such an offering across Europe.

Last October, the firm announced a raft of improvements to its EcoStruxure IT Expert platform to improve the remote management and monitoring of data centres and edge deployments. This included adding AI-supported UPS battery health assessment.