Methode Data Solutions Group is a unit of Methode Electronics (News - Alert), which designs and manufactures devices using electrical, electronic, wireless, sensing and optical technologies to control and convey signals through sensors, user-interfaces, interconnections and controls. The company recently announced the expansion of its family in intelligent automation products for data centers with the launch of U-Track near-field RFID asset tracking solution.

In a press release, Methode announced that the U-Track solution enables data centers to effortlessly and automatically track assets anywhere within the data center. According to the company, its U-TrackSM is the first ever product in the industry to use near-field sensing technology. Based on this technology, U-Track, according to the company, is capable of accurately detecting the presence, identifying the exact location of any rack mounted asset, and providing a wide, robust range of asset management applications for IT organizations and data centers.

It should be mentioned that Methode’s existing suite of intelligent automation products for data centers includes Locktalk, a biometrically secured electronic access solution; REMSSM, an intelligent environmental monitoring system; and Asset-Track, the original broadfield RFID asset tracking solution. All these solutions are built on common intelligence software engine, accessible through a flexible browser-based environment and open API, for integration with customer enterprise and system management consoles and datasets.

Many RFID asset tracking solutions available today employ UHF-based, Gen2 standard tagging and reading technologies. These systems work well for broad area asset tracking where assets are tracked across multiple area-based stages, for example: from a dock door into a data center room.

According to Methode officials, the U-Track solution that leverages industry standards for high frequency RFID makes an ideal solution for next generation facility installations where smart racking and smart cabinets are being considered. The U0Track solution is also suitable for the retrofit environments where smart upgrades are underway to gain data center efficiencies.

Methode Data Solutions Group has also recently released the new Quantum (News - Alert) Cabling Solution for high density cable management infrastructure applications. The company noted that Quantum Cabling Solution was designed with the user in mind and is the most user friendly, efficient solution on the market; it allows the user to cable a fully loaded enterprise class director in half the time of traditional cabling methods. Fully compliant with the TIA (News - Alert)-942 Telecommunications Infrastructure Standard for Data Centers, the Quantum Cabling Solution reduced single card installation time from one hour down to fifteen minutes in the trial. When deployed with a TIA-942 infrastructure solution, the Quantum provides a highly manageable cabling solution that improves troubleshooting and move-add-change (MAC) activities when compared to traditional cabling methods.